LoveHate Relationship
by GreaserGirlie
Summary: Valerie and Ponyboy have almost nothing in common, except the fact that their brothers belong to the same pack of friends. She isn't too fond of him, and he isn't too fond of her. Will they ever change their minds? And what happens if they do? Please read
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay so...I am doing this Ponyboy fic because well his character and my OC are much closer to my age, which I think might make it easier to write and I'm going to try my best, as I always do! But I am also in the middle of writing one other story so my updates might not always be so fast, but I usually don't take long to update soo :) By the way this is in the POV of Valerie (Two-Bit's little sister).

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders...S.E. Hinton does. I only own Valerie Mathews!

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><p>I woke up to the sound of that god awful alarm clock and I threw it against the wall. I hated waking up for school and what made matters worse was that I was in all the smart people classes with that dork, Ponyboy. It's like he lives and breathes school, but I guess Darry doesn't give him any other option. It didn't even make any sense, me being smart. I couldn't care less about school, yet I got moved up a grade because of how well I did with my test scores.<p>

I tried to go back to sleep, but a rough pounding came from my bedroom door, followed by, "Hey, kid! Get your lazy ass up!" I knew it was Dally, just by his voice and that made me smile a little. Dally was like the big brother I wished Two-Bit could be. Dally was cool, rough, tough, and everything hood. Not to mention he was hot. But I really didn't think of him like that, just as a brother. I was curious as to what he was doing there though; everyone usually ate breakfast at the Curtis house, which I wasn't exactly happy about.

I guess Dally was getting impatient because he threw open my door and yelled at me, "Get up!"

"I don't want to, asshole," I mumbled from under my sheets. He ripped the sheets off of me, grabbed me, and threw me over his shoulder. I pounded on his back, but he just wouldn't let me down. Eventually when we got to the kitchen he set me down, but not very gently. I looked around at the faces in my kitchen and noticed the following people were there; Steve, Soda, Two-Bit, Johnny, and Ponyboy. I glared at Pony and he glared back, until I finally won the glare off.

"What's everyone doin' here?" I asked Two-Bit, who was busy chugging down a beer.

"I thought we'd change it up a little. Have you cook us breakfast," he replied. He must have been kidding because he knew how much I hated to cook.

"What are you high? I ain't cookin' shit," I answered with a laugh.

"Hey! Watch the language, you're still a kid ya know."

"I'm not a kid."

"Sure ya are!" he chuckled. God, my brother is such an idiot.

"Dal, am I a kid?" I questioned.

"You're the youngest in the gang, little one."

"I'm barely part of the gang. And even so, he's only two months older than me," I said, jerking my thumb at Pony.

"Doesn't matter. You're still the youngest."

"What is everyone actually doin' here?" I asked no one in particular.

"Wanted to see how much of the gang I could get over here by tellin' 'em that I had a surprise for 'em," Two-Bit joked.

"We should be eatin' right now, but your idiot brother has now screwed up the morning for us," Pony complained.

"Oh shut up," I snapped at him.

"I'm not arguin' with you so don't bother."

I was about to say something back when my mother stumbled into the house. She wasn't the best mom and she was probably the reason why Two-Bit and I turned out the way we did, but I still loved her. She was funny when she wasn't drunk and even funnier when she was.

"Hey, mom," I greeted her.

"Hi, honey. Hi, kids. I'm just gonna head upstairs, I had a rough night," she laughed. It sounded like a forced laugh though. She was probably getting hassled by all the guys at the bar that she worked at. She was just a bartender, which now that I think about it is probably why she's always drinking. Two-Bit glared after her, but it wasn't because of any hate he had for her. It was just because he didn't like the job she had.

"Well I'm gonna go get ready so you guys better wait for me," I ordered. I left the kitchen and made my way upstairs when I heard Pony say,

"Can we just leave her?"

He really didn't like me anymore than I liked him and we both always made a point to show it. The first time we met, when we were six, I poured sand all over his head at school and he threw some back at me. We ended up getting in trouble and he cried to get out of it. Then I told him he was a baby or something like that and he told on me. After that everything he did just got on my nerves and I'm pretty sure he felt the same way about me.

I looked through my closet to pick out my clothes and decided on a black mini skirt and a pink short-sleeved shirt that went off both shoulders. I chose my black two inch heels to go with it the rest of the outfit. It was only September so it was still warm out. I looked at in the mirror and asked myself if Two-Bit would approve of my outfit and my answer was no so the outfit was perfect. I brushed out my naturally, chocolate brown, pin-straight hair and cursed myself for having it. Once I had a little make-up on I walked down the stairs and noticed that the guys were gone. Damn Ponyboy and his stupid ideas. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked outside to see that the guys were; in fact, waiting for me.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Two-bit shouted at me. I was very satisfied at this because it was pretty much my life dream to annoy Two-Bit to no end. It's not easy to annoy Two-Bit though. The only thing that I do that really annoys him is dress like the way I do. He thinks if I dress like that then guys will be hanging around me all the time, which is kind of what I want.

"Clothes," I answered simply.

"Go change."

"Let me think about that," I pretended to consider getting changed, "No."

"What's wrong with what she's wearin'?" Dally questioned.

"Ponyboy would you date her?" Two-Bit asked out of the blue. What the hell is wrong with him?

"No," Pony replied fatly. Ass.

"Exactly. If a good kid like Pony ain't gonna date her than that means some hood's gonna snatch her up."

"I hate to tell you, but some hood has already snatched me up," I interfered with their conversation. Two-Bit gave me a questioning look and to avoid telling him who it was I started walking down the drive-way.

"Who's this hood?" Two-Bit inquired, chasing after me. He grabbed the beer out of my hand and started to drink it so I took it back with ease.

"None of your business." It really was none of his business. All my life he's been bossing me around and acting some he's hot shit just because he's older than me.

"I think it is," he pressed on. If there was one thing besides drinking, that he was good at, it was getting on my nerves.

"I know who it is," Pony bragged from behind me. I stopped abruptly and turned around to face him.

"You better keep your mouth shut," I threatened him.

He looked to the ground and then finally up at me, "Just kiddin'." I don't know why he didn't tell Two-Bit that I was seeing this guy, but I didn't really care about his reason. I smirked at him and continued to walk towards school. If only Two-Bit's car wasn't in the shop; then we wouldn't be walking. Eventually Soda told us that he had to head back to his house so Darry could take him to work and Dally asked if he could bum a ride. Two-Bit and Steve got caught up talking about something stupid, probably, so that left me walking next to Pony and Johnny. I'd forgotten Johnny was even with us because he was being so quiet.

"So Johnny Cakes, what's new with you?" I smiled at him. He was on my left side, while Pony was on my right so it made it easier to ignore Pony.

"Not much," he said quietly. Poor kid, well he was older than me but whatever, always getting abused by his parents.

"You wanna come over after school?"

"Sure, sounds fun," he answered.

"Johnny, I thought you were comin' over my house?" Pony interrupted us. God, sometimes I just wanted to punch him in the face.

"Oh...right. Sorry, Valerie. You can come over to Pony's house with us though." Yeah, right. Like I'd ever want to voluntarily go over Ponyboy's house.

"Um, that's okay, Johnny. We'll hang out some other time...when he's not around."

"Hey! I can still hear you, ya know!" Pony commented.

"Was I talking to you?" I snapped at him again.

"No, but maybe if you didn't talk about me like I wasn't here then-"

"Do you ever stop talking!" I threw my hands up in frustration as I walked ahead of the two boys. I heard Johnny mumble something to Pony and it sounded like Pony got mad so whatever it was; go Johnny!

I got into first period and took my seat next to some Soc who was already looking at me funny. I really hated when they did that; looked at us like we meant less than them. I flipped him off and he smirked at me before looking back to the teacher. It would have been an okay class if it weren't for that teacher. He was always confusing me with all these poems and stuff. I just really didn't understand it, but Ponyboy did. And that's what bothered me the most about that class.

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><p>AN: So how was that? I really would love to hear your opinions! What do you guys think of Valerie? What do you think of her relationships with Pony and Two-Bit? I would love to continue this story so gimme some love! (Oh and sorry if there are any mistakes, my spell-check is not working)


	2. Curly, Angela, Socs, Oh My!

A/N: Well thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story :) By the way, I forgot to mention that Ponyboy is fifteen and he and Valerie are sophomores in high school. (not that it really matters, I just thought you guys should know). Also I would like to thank KittyoftheNight and OutsidersGirl1 for helping me with some ideas for this chapter =)

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><p>One name: Curly Shepard.<p>

Curly Shepard: a fifteen year old hood who's never been the sharpest tool in the shed. Now, most people would take one look at him and think he's going to try and rob you, which isn't always the case. He's really sweet, well to me anyways. Two-Bit would freak out if he knew that I was dating Curly. I mean, he is a year older than me; although, I'll be fifteen in October. But I don't think it's the age difference that really bothers Two-Bit. I think it's more of the fact that Curly is known in my house as off-limits. Curly is supposed to be this hood who's supposedly going to break my heart so he's a big no no. Both my brother and my mother know how I feel about Curly and they both told me that if I was caught with him that I would "face the consequences". This meant that my mother would try to ground me, but wouldn't really care and that Two-Bit would beat the living shit out of Curly. Of course I never really cared what they said, so I went out with him anyways. Not too many people knew. I think only Angela, Johnny, Tim, Dally, and Ponyboy knew. Angela and Tim only knew because they were family to Curly, Dally knew because he's friends with Tim and he looks at me like a little sister so he just has to know my business, Johnny knew because I told him, and Ponyboy knew because he was snooping around in business that wasn't his. He found out the night of Curly and I's third date.

_Flashback_

_Curly was getting popcorn and a couple sodas while I sat in a seat. We decided to sneak in, which I thought was totally romantic, and the movie was just about to start._

_"Oh great, you're here," a sarcastic voice said from behind me. I turned to see Ponyboy and Johnny standing there._

_"What are you doing here?" I said a bit hurriedly because I didn't want them to see me with Curly, even though Johnny already knew._

_"We're here to see a movie, what else would we do?" Ponyboy retorted._

_"Can you just go somewhere else?" Before he could answer, Curly came back with the popcorn and drinks and sat down next to me._

_"Curly? What are you guys...wait, are you two on a date?" Pony asked, astonished._

_"Hey, Curtis, Cade. What's it to ya?" Curly replied, standing back up. _

_"Nothin' just her brother ain't gonna like it much when he finds out about you two," he smirked at me._

_"You are not going to tell him about us," I said to Ponyboy, standing up as well._

_"And why not?" he asked._

_"Because if you do, I'll snap your neck so hard your head will fall right off," I threatened._

_"Well we gotta go find some other seats," he told us. It was obvious that he was avoiding the response that I was waiting for because he was probably planning on telling Two-Bit._

_After they left Curly and I finally got to the watch the movie in peace. Well it wasn't exactly peaceful, more like we didn't see much of the movie, if you know what I mean._

_End of Flashback_

It was one of my main priorities to make sure that no one who wasn't supposed to know, knew about Curly and I. Sometimes I wondered if sneaking around with Curly was even worth it, but when he kissed me I realized that yes it was worth it.

I was sitting on the bleachers after school, trying to focus on my math homework when someone wrapped their arms around me. I think Curly was trying to scare me, but of course it didn't work.

"Hey," I said as he sat down beside me.

"Hey, babe. What's that? Homework?" he questioned.

"Yeah. But it's boring so I'm done with it."

"Good because I think we could do something else with our time," he smiled wolfishly at me. I leaned in to kiss him, but just before our lips met I heard the name of someone I didn't want to.

"Ponyboy, wait up!" a female voice yelled out. I knew it was Angela just by the whiny, desparate tone. Don't get me wrong; I love the girl to death, but something just isn't right with her.

"Angela, please let me go. I really gotta get to track practice," Ponyboy responded.

"Oh! I'll watch you!" she beamed. She climbed up the bleachers next to us and it seemed as if she didn't notice that we were sitting there. Pony did though because he gave me a glare before walking over to the rest of his track friends. I actually ended up watching some of his practice because Curly had to talk to some guy about something he couldn't tell me about for a little while. I figured I might as well wait there for Curly so he could walk me home. I hate to admit it, but damn Ponyboy can run and he's more athletic than I give him credit for. Curly came back around the time Ponyboy's practice was over and he sat on the row in front of me. He pulled me to the edge of the row I was on and kissed me. We kissed for a while before I heard someone clear their throat. I broke away from Curly to see Angela and Pony both with disgusted looks on their faces.

"Hey Ang," I said.

"Hey," she responded.

"I gotta get out of here, but I'll call you," Curly told me, breaking the awkward silence. I kissed one last time before he left, confused about why he left.

"That was disgusting," Angela commented.

"Oh shush. It wasn't that gross. Actually it was really good," I smirked. Ponyboy rolled his eyes, but I don't really know what his problem was so I decided to ask.

"What's your problem?" I asked him.

"I don't have a problem," he replied.

"Liar," I flared at him.

"Valerie!" Angela shouted, trying to stop me. I rolled my eyes and began glaring at Ponyboy.

"Stop it," he demanded. Only his voice wasn't exactly demanding. That's what made it so easy to push him around though, he just wasn't able to stand up for himself.

"Oh please, you aren't foolin' anyone," I retorted.

"Well I really hate to go, but Tim is gonna lose his mind if I'm late again and then, well then I have to listen to his bull shit. So I'll see both of ya later," Angela informed us. She winked at Ponyboy and gave me a smile before hopping down the bleachers and walking off.

I followed suit and walked the opposite way toward my house. I didn't bother to say goodbye to Ponyboy and he didn't seem to care. I heard walking behind me and it sounded like more than one person, but I just kept looking straight ahead. I didn't want to risk turning around and seeing that the walking belonged to some Socs. Suddenly my arm was pulled and held behind my back. It hurt like hell, but I wasn't going to give the Soc the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt me. There were only two of them so it wouldn't be as hard to face them if there had been more, but still I was only a fourteen year old girl. I kicked and punched and screamed, but I couldn't get out of his grasp. They dragged me into an ally and my eyes darted all over, looking for any witnesses, but of course there were none. How come when I get jumped there's no one there to save me? I felt a sharp pain near my side and and I looked down to see a stain of red fluid seeping through my shirt. One of the two guys was busy cleaning the blade off. Leave it to a Soc to worry about blood stains getting on his pretty little blade. The guy who was holding me tightly was smiling evily at me and I was sure he was going to try something, but to my surprised after he stabbed me he threw me down on the ground.

"Well this was fun, but you ain't worth it, greaser," he spat at me. I tried to get up off the ground, but my head was feeling light from hitting the ground and my side still really hurt so I just laid there and moaned about the pain. I tried to breath slowly, but the pain was just too much. I wouldn't let a single tear out though. No, no tears would make their way out of my eyes. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but my headache was making that kind of hard. The last thing I saw was a pair of black converse before everything went black.

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><p>"What do you mean you don't know what happened?" a voice shouted, bringing me out of my sleep or unconscienceness; I'm not sure which I was in. I didn't want to open my eyes because I could listen to the conversation if I kept them closed.<p>

"I-I don't know. I found her lyin' in an alley on my way home. She was just lyin' there and she wasn't movin' so I brought her back here," a voice answered. It sounded like...Ponyboy's? But that didn't make any sense. Ponyboy wouldn't have brought me back; he'd just let me lay there and die probably.

"Well thanks for bringin' her back, Pony. Something worse coulda happened if you didn't."

So Ponyboy did bring me back...Great. Now he's probably going to expect me to be all nice to him because he found me. Well that is certainly not the case. I don't care what he does for me, I still hate him. I groaned and opened my eyes so they would notice that I was awake and Two-Bit was immediately at my side.

"Hey there, Val, you feelin' alright?" Two-Bit asked.

"I guess. My side really hurts and my head feels kinda light, but I'll be fine," I responded. I noticed I wasn't wearing the shirt that I had had on before. I don't know who's shirt I was wearing, but it didn't matter at that moment.

"Yeah, those Socs gotcha pretty good."

I tried to sit up, but as soon as I did a pain shot through my side and I yelled,"What the hell? That freakin' hurt!"

"Hold on, I'll go ask Darry what to do," Two-Bit said as he got up from where he was crouching, "Kid, keep an eye on her." He said that to Ponyboy who looked like he wasn't even paying attention.

I groaned once more and asked Pony, "How the hell did I get here?" I had a feeling he'd tell me the same thing I had heard from Two-Bit, but I just wanted to make sure I had the story right.

"Saw you lyin' in an alley and brought you back here," he answered.

"But I was unconscience."

"That's why I had to carry you," he said it like I was stupid to say anything in the first place.

"So you...carried me all the way back here?" I questioned to clarify.

"Yes," he told me. I didn't say anything. I didn't even thank him. I don't know why, but just because he helped me out didn't mean I had to be friends with him. Two-Bit came back in with Darry who still had the first aid kit with him.

"Darry, I'm fine," I assured him.

"Well after we stitched up your side, you were fine. But that still leaves your head," he replied. After I gave him a confused look he continued, "The guy who attacked you must have thrown you down on the ground pretty hard. It seems like you hit your head on the ground."

"Oh, well I'm fine. Stop fussin' over me," I demanded. Darry sighed and began talking to Two-Bit about something. They were talking in hushed tones and I couldn't hear a word they were saying. Whatever they were talking about, they both ended up leaving the house altogether. Everyone else was either at work or somewhere or in Johnny's case, late. I winced again as I tried to stand up and I soon realized that I was going to have to ask Ponyboy for help.

"Um, hey, can you, um," I stammered with my words, "Oh fuck it. Can you help me up?" I decided to go with the blunt option and just ask for help.

"Oh, uh, I guess," he responded. He got off the recliner and put his hand out for me to take. I took it and it warm to the touch, but not like a sweaty kind of warm; just a nice kind of warm. He pulled and right when he did I gasped as the sharp pain came back. He studied me for a minute before wrapping one arm around my waist while still staying in front of me. He slowly pulled me up and I swallowed hard, ready for any pain that was to follow. But there was no pain, only the warmth of Pony's arm around my waist. I swear we were standing there way to long, but for some reason I couldn't bring my eyes away from his.

A sudden loud noise got my attention and I saw Curly standing there out of breath. He looked with furrowed eyebrows to me and then to Ponyboy. I did the same and pushed him away from me. Curly quickly crossed the distance from the door to me and began looking me up and down. I hoped he was looking for anything that was wrong and not just to check me out. Man, news really travels fast, huh? I guess when you're in the Shepard gang you get information at the snap of your fingers. He must have come to the conclusion that there wasn't too much damage and wrapped his arms around my waist, but higher than Ponyboy had so I winced aloud.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" Curly inquired.

"Just a little. They got me good in the side," I said, lifting my shirt half-way to show him the bandage that Two-Bit or Darry must have wrapped around me. Curly put his hand on the bandage and an angry look came upon his face.

"I'm gonna get the bastards who did this to you," he promised.

"What's the point? It ain't gonna make a difference," Pony commented.

"Did anyone ask for your opinion?" I asked him. Then turning to Curly I said, "You go get 'em 'cause this thing is startin' to hurt like all hell."

"Don't worry, I will. Ain't no one gonna hurt my girl and get away with it." I laughed a little at that because as dumb as he was, he was still a damn good boyfriend. Everyone said he would be just like Tim, but I didn't believe that because Tim had no passion or love the way Curly did. Sure Tim would fight for someone he cared about, but when Curly did it, it meant so much more to me. I guess that's why I agreed to go out with him in the first place. Ya know, they say that these kind of young relationships never last, but I really think Curly and I are good together...

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><p>AN: Hmmm..So what do you guys think about her and Curly? I may have made Curly a bit softer, I know, but I just had to...I just had to..It's not so much soft, just like...idk what to call it, but you get what I mean! Anyways! What did you think about Pony and Valerie? Huh? I'd love to know what you thought! So either review or PM me and give me any ideas you have, thoughts, or helpful adive...notice I said helpful advice! Flames are NOT welcome :)


	3. Fights All Over The Place

A/N: You guys are sooo amazing, giving me those lovely reviews :) To reward you (even though I do not update just for reviews) I will present you with a new chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: But before you enjoy, know that I do not own anything from The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does! I only own Valerie!

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><p>After Curly left Ponyboy's house I sat down back down on the couch, without really thinking how hard it would be to get back up.<p>

"He's gonna do somethin' stupid, ya know," Pony informed me.

"He's not gonna do anything stupid. He's just gonna give those Socs what they deserve," I retorted.

"I don't get why he'd wanna fight for you."

"You're such a jerk," I growled.

He didn't say anything back and I thought I had won. Then he said something that really pissed me off,

"You're welcome."

"I never said thank you," I smirked.

"I know. That's why I'm trying to remind you to have some manners," he smirked right back at me. Manners? I'm a greaser girl, the last thing I have is manners.

"Manners? Do you not get how much I hate you?" I almost yelled.

"I get how much you hate me, I just don't get why."

"I just do, alright?" I really didn't feel like telling him the real reason I hated him. I had too much pride for that.

Again it was awkward until I sighed, "Can you help me up again?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

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><p><span>Three Days Later (Thursday)<span>

I hadn't seen Curly since he told me he was going to get back at those Socs who beat me up and that kind of worried me. It had been three days and I was a little nervous. I was sitting in the parking lot with Angela after school and she kept asking me a bunch of questions about Ponyboy.

"So he likes Pepsi?" she questioned with bright blue eyes.

"Yes, he likes Pepsi," I responded out of frustration.

"What else?" she pushed on.

"I don't know, Ang. He likes to smoke, I guess." She had been trying to get information out of me all day and I finally cracked and said I would tell her some stuff. I didn't actually ask Ponyboy this stuff; I just picked it up because of being around him so much.

"Ew, that's kind of a turn off, but I guess I'll have to live with it."

I pulled out another cigarette, the last one of the pack, and lit it. Sometimes I think I have an addiction to those things, but they really calm me down. Angela looked over at me with disgust as I blew the smoke right in her face. She swatted the smoke away and stuck her tongue out at me. I simply laughed and continued to smoke.

"So anything else you know about him?" she asked.

"He's annoying as all hell," I answered with hatred burning my tongue.

"He is not! He's so cute. And just about the smartest guy I know." I looked at her with my eyes wide as I did not understand how she could think those things. I mean, yeah he's smart, but not the smartest guy she knows.

"Ang, he is not the type of guy you ever go for. Why the hell do you like him? Because he ain't good lookin' and he ain't that smart."

"I don't know. Something just draws me in, ya know? Like you said about Curly, you see what no one else sees," she exhaled while looking out past me. I turned to see Ponyboy and Johnny walking towards us.

"Hey Johnny Cakes!" I just about squealed. It wasn't really a squeal though, becuase well I just don't do that.

"I'm here too," Ponyboy muttered, but I ignored him as usual.

"Hi, Valerie. Hi, Angela," Johnny said shyly.

"Hi, Pony," Angela giggled. Who the hell is she? Because that sure as hell wasn't Angela.

"Hey, Angela. Valerie, you still haven't thanked me," Pony leered.

"And I'm not going to," I said through chenched teeth. Angela looked over to me with confused eyes and she reminded me of Curly. Ew.

"What are you guys talking about?" Angela asked.

"Nothing," I snapped quickly. We all looked around at each other and no one really knew what to do. I looked at Angela while she looked at Johnny who was looking at Ponyboy who was looking at me. I switched my eyes from Angela to Ponyboy and tried to read his eyes. I never noticed before, but his eyes had such an odd coloring to them. They were gray, but green at the same time. I had heard him telling Johnny once that he didn't like the color of his eyes, but I didn't really see why; they were kind of nice.

"Help!" A voice yelled out and we all turned our heads toward the direction of the yelling. I ran past Johnny, Pony, and Angela and to the side of the school where I saw an african american girl getting cornered by two Socs. I looked across the street and saw a shiny silver pipe about as long as my arm. I quickly ran over to get it and ran straight to the girl getting bothered.

"There a problem here?" I inquired, sizing up the two boys. One was around my age and I could probably take him with the pipe I had, but the other one looked a few years older and I knew that it would take a lot more than a pipe to take him down.

"Nothin' you need to be worryin' about," the bigger one said. He had dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He would have been real good looking if it weren't for that smirk on his face.

"Well I think you should just leave this girl alone," I voiced my opinion.

"And why should we?" the younger one piped up. When I really looked at him, I think I would actually rather stare at Ponyboy all day than him. He was lanky and awkward and his dark brown hair was nearly a mess. For a Soc, he looked pretty lousy.

"'Cause it's four against two," a voice said from behind me. I didn't turn around because I knew that it was Angela's voice. Figures, she wouldn't miss a fight for anything. I could see the poor black girl still cowering in fear as she watched us argue. I stepped closer to the younger Soc and he looked me up and down. Ew, what a perv. That was my cue to swing at his stomach, causing him to double over in pain. The big one lunged at me, knocking me to the ground and knocking the wind right out of me.

"Hey, man! Get offa her!" Pony yelled, as he ripped the guy off of me. My side still hurt from my first attack a few days before and now they hurt even more. Pony held out his hand for me to take, but I ignored him and pushed myself off the ground. Angela now had the metal pipe and I knew that would be an issue. She could get pretty riled up when it came to a fight. I noticed that the girl who had been getting beat up was long gone so I decided it was time for us to get out of there also.

"Guys, come on!" I shouted. Of course Johnny was by my side in a heartbeat because he hadn't really been fighting at all, then came Ponyboy, and lastly Angela. We all sprinted back to the front of school, where thankfully there were a few greasers hanging around.

"Holy shit, that was fun!" Angela exclaimed.

"That was not fun. We coulda got killed," Pony complained.

"I am going to toughen you up," Angela giggled. Pony rolled his eyes and I had to stifle a laugh. Poor Angela just chased and chased after Ponyboy, but it was obvious that he wasn't interested. I grabbed my side because it was starting to hurt again, but I turned away from the others so they wouldn't see the pain I was in.

"Hey, Valerie, you okay?" Johnny questioned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm," I paused to wince a little, "fine."

"No, you're not. That guy hit you on the side, didn't he?"

"Maybe. But I'll be fine. Really," I assured him. He nodded and we both looked back to Ponyboy and Angela who were just watching. I was still curious as to why Ponyboy had offered to help me up. I really thought we were supposed to hate each other.

"Anyways I should be getting home," Ponyboy said.

"Can you walk me home? It's not really safe for me to walk home alone," Angela asked.

"Well, I really should get home..." Pony was trying to tell Angela that he didn't want to walk her home so I thought I'd pay him back for saving me.

"Johnny, you wouldn't mind walking Ang home, right?" I spoke up, knowing that Johnny wouldn't say no.

"Oh, um, I guess not," he answered. Angela gave me a disappointed and slightly annoyed look, but I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay, let's go, Johnny," Angela sighed. I knew she didn't exactly like Johnny, but even she wasn't going to be rude to him.

"Thanks," Pony said after Angela and Johnny had left.

"Yeah, whatever. That was my way of saying thanks," I responded and started to walk over to the steps to sit down. Two-Bit hadn't gone to school that day but he still had to pick me up. Ponyboy followed me and sat down next to me. I guess he was hitching a ride too.

"So..." he started, "Why'd you try to help that girl?" What the hell? Now all of the sudden he thinks that he can talk to me?

"She was in trouble, so I helped. Ain't a big deal," I said. I was trying to cut off the conversation, but I guess he couldn't take a hint.

"You coulda got hurt," he stated.

"So what? What if I got hurt? I get hurt all the time, it's not that big of a deal."

"You hang around with Dally too much," he informed me.

"Because he's a cool guy. Much cooler than any of you losers." Okay so yeah it was a little harsh, but I'm not really known for being nice.

"What's your problem?" his voice suddenly raised.

"You," I responded sharply.

"Why? I never did nothin' to you."

"Kindergarten. Beginning of the school year and you threw sand at me," I smirked.

"You threw the sand first." I was slightly surprised that he remembered what had happened, but I didn't let it show.

"Doesn't matter who threw what first. It just matters that I ended up with sand all over me and you got out of it," I said.

"This fighting is pointless."

"No it's not. You're just mad because I always win our arguements," I gloated.

"'Cause I let you," he practically yelled, "Everytime we argue I wanna say a lot of stuff that'd probably make you cry. But I don't 'cause I don't wanna make you cry!" I was definitely taken aback. Where was all of this crap coming from?

"I don't care," I said, getting up when I saw Two-Bit pull into the parking lot. Pony stood up at the same time and grabbed my arm as I started to walk down the stairs.

"Just try not to be such a bitch all the time," he told me. Then he walked right past me and to Two-Bit's car. If he really though calling me a bitch would upset me then he had another thing coming. I followed him and got into the front, while he sat in the back.

"Hey, dirtbag," I greeted Two-Bit.

"Well if it isn't the wicked bitch of the west," he acknowledged me. I cracked a grin at my brother and he did the same to me. This was completely normal for us, so I didn't take any offense what-so-ever when he called me a bitch.

"So what are you two doin' tonight?" Two-Bit inquired.

"I don't know," Pony answered.

I rolled my eyes and answered, "Probably hittin' a party with Angela."

"No you're not," Two-Bit told me.

"Um, yes, I am."

"No you're not. 'Cause I ain't babysittin' ya at a party," he remarked.

"I don't need you to come with me. I just need a ride," I said.

"I'm not givin' you a ride so you can forget the party," he stated. Then when I gave him a dirty look he said, "Sorry, Val, but I got a hot date."

"What's that make? The third...no fourth...no fifth of the week?" I retorted.

"Ha-ha you're not as funny as me no matter what you try, baby girl."

"Ugh, do not call me that," I barked at him. Sometimes the guys thought it was funny to call me baby girl, because I was the the only girl in the group and the youngest.

"Alright, alright." We pulled up to my house and I jumped out of the car, with my bag. I slammed the door and didn't say goodbye to either of the boys.

* * *

><p>When I got inside I dropped my bag at the front door and looked up. I almost had a heart attack when I saw Curly sprawled out on my couch watching T.V.<p>

"What the hell do you think you're doing? How did you get in here?" I asked him.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me," he said. He didn't answer either of my questions, but I let it go.

"I...I am. Where have you been?" He got up to pull me into a hug and I felt his hands on my butt.

"I wanna know where you've been," I repeated myself and pulled away from him, but he kept his hands firmly on my butt.

"I had some things to take care of. It's nothin' you need to get involved with," he told me.

"I think it is. I haven't seen you since you found out about those Socs."

"Well I took care of them. Don't worry about it," he said. How could I not worry about it? He probably did something incredibly stupid, which means it involved Tim, which also means it was dangerous.

"Stop telling me not to worry about things! If I wanna worry about you, then I will!" I shouted.

"I know you worry about me. But you shouldn't." I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him again, just to feel the warmth of his body. I don't know what made me feel so good when I was with Curly, but whatever it was I liked it.

"Excuse me? You mind gettin' your hands off her ass?" an abrupt voice said. I whirled around and out of Curly's grip to see Two-Bit standing there.

"Two-Bit, chill out," I warned him.

"I'm gonna kill you," he said to Curly. Curly started to back up and tripped over his own two feet. I smacked my hand to my forehead because of his stupidity. He quickly got up though and ran through the house and out the back door. I had to hold off Two-Bit by distracting him with a beer while Curly got out.

"What did I tell you about him? I said you couldn't date him and I said it for a reason." Two-Bit sounded frustrated and I'd never seen him like this. He was usually so happy and care-free, but now all of the sudden he was playing dad?

"You don't control me, ya know. Curly is a really good guy," I defended Curly.

"As long as mom isn't here, I do control what you do, where you go, and who you see. It's a promise I made and I ain't gonna break it."

"I get it, Keith, but he is a really good guy," I spoke calmly to him now.

"Oh really? That's why the cops are lookin' for him?" Two-Bit smirked.

"They are?"

"Yeah, so you're done with him. Whatever you had goin' on, it's done. I ain't lettin' my baby sister go out with some guy who's gonna get her caught up in shit like this." He grabbed a beer and walked back out of the house and left.

I hadn't even gotten a chance to ask him why he came back to the house in the first place. I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and used the back door to leave. Curly wasn't out there like I had expected him to be so I headed in the direction of his house. Two-Bit wasn't going to stop me from seeing Curly just because he'd gotten in some trouble. I guess Two-Bit didn't know how much trouble I'd gotten myself into.

* * *

><p>AN: Sooo, yeah...what do you think is gonna happen when/if Curly gets found by the police? Did you like this protective side of Two-Bit or not? What about Ponyboy and Valerie? What do you think Valerie's real reason is for hating Ponyboy? Hmmm well let me know by reviewing or sending me a message! :)


	4. Bad Boyfriend and A New Friend

A/N: Okay so I think you guys have an adorable idea about Valerie liking/ having liked Ponyboy! But sadly, that is not quite why she hates him...

* * *

><p>I broke into a run as I made my way to the Shepard house. I could see Tim's car, or at least one of his stolen cars, parked in the drive-way. I was glad to see that Tim was there because he was just like Dally; tough and tuff. I pounded on the front door until Angela finally opened it.<p>

"Oh it's you," she snarled. I didn't know what her attitude problem was, but right then I needed to talk to Curly.

"Where's Curly?" I questioned.

"I don't know. He's your boyfriend, shouldn't you know where he is?"

"He just ran out of my house and I need to talk to him!" I yelled at her.

"Why? What did you do? Tell him about how you're in love with Ponyboy?" she snapped. Why would she ever think that I was in love with Ponyboy? She knows how much I hate him.

"What? Are you crazy?" I laughed.

"No. I saw the way you were looking at him earlier and then you made Johnny walk me home so you could spend more time with Pony!" I thought back to when I'd been thinking about how nice his eyes were and quickly forced the thoughts out of my head.

"Ang, you know he's all yours. I just thought that maybe Johnny would want to walk you home," I tried.

"Bull shit. You're trying to steal Ponyboy away from me!"

"I can't steal what you don't have!" I blurted out. I figured I had already screwed things up with her, why not go for the gold? "And another thing, he doesn't like you! You're just too desperate and stubborn to see that he's not interested!"

"Valerie, what the hell?" a voice that I recognized as Curly's came from behind me.

"Curly! There you are," I began, but the look on his face cut me off. He didn't look angry, he just looked confused and upset by something.

"How could you say that to her?" he asked, gesturing to Angela. I turned to look at her and she had tears glistening in her eyes. I knew this was just a show though because it took a lot more than a few lousy insults to make Angela Shepard cry.

"She's just faking it and you and I both know that," I informed him.

"Oh yeah, she's really faking those fuckin' tears, huh?" he yelled. This was the side of Curly that I didn't like. The Shepard side. They all had it, especially Angela. Whenever something happened that they really didn't like, they'd just flip the hell out.

"C-Curly stop," I stuttered.

"Why should I? You're over here making my sister cry and I heard what she said. What the hell's goin' on with you and Curtis?"

"Dear, God, please make him shut up," I faked praying. I even pulled the whole eyes closed and hands together stuff. I opened one eye and threw him a sheepish smile, which he openly rejected. Angela ran over to him and he enveloped her in a hug. She managed a dirty look through her fake tears and Curly looked like he didn't know what to do.

"Curly, I really need to talk to you," I interrupted their fake brother and sister moment.

"Ang, go ahead back inside. I'll handle her," Curly told Angela. Handle me? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Babe, what's goin' on?" he asked once Angela was out of hearing shot and in the house. I hadn't even thought for a second that Curly was faking this just to make Angela think he was on her side. Huh, guess I was wrong.

"I just came over here to find you and she started flippin' out on me and accusin' me of things that obviously aren't true," I answered.

"It's 'cause she's crazy," he replied, simply. I smiled and he smiled back, while pulling me in closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put his on my waist. "So there ain't anything goin' on with you and Curtis, right?" he questioned.

"Of course not," I assured him. He shrugged as if he approved my answer and put his lips on mine.

I felt his tongue slip into my mouth as he pressed harder against my lips. I hadn't noticed, but we were moving towards the house. He opened the front door, while still attached to me and I pretty much let my body follow his. The next time I opened my eyes, we were in his room. He was starting to get a little grabby when his hands moved under my shirt. I let it pass though because this had happened before. When he began to unhook my bra, I pushed him away.

"You know I'm not ready for that," I said quietly.

"Aw come on. I've been pretty damn patient," he grumbled.

"I'm only fourteen!" I laughed because I found it unbelievable that he was mad that I wouldn't have sex with him.

"So? You're gonna be fifteen in November," he said.

"October, you moron," I corrected him.

"Does it really matter?" he asked.

"Yes! It does matter! Because I'm your girl, Curly," my voice rose with anger, "See this ring? It's supposed to mean that I'm your girl and that you actually care about me!"

"Shit, Val, you know I care about you," he sighed as he ran a hand through his greased back, dark brown hair, "I just...I care about you so much that it kinda scares me."

I was surprised that Curly had just told me that. According to him, he was scared of nothing. And the fact that he cared about me that much just made me that much happier and it took a lot to get me that happy.

"So you're afraid of this...relationship?" I inquired.

"No, I ain't afraid of it. I'm afraid of how close we're gettin'. I don't think I wanna..." he trailed off and I guess he expected me to understand what he was trying to say, but I had no clue.

"You don't wanna what?"

"I don't want you to be my...girl anymore. I just want us to be...casual, ya know?" I wouldn't show it, but my heart had just been torn into two pieces. He was breaking up with me, but he still wanted me to make out with.

"So you're breaking up with me?" I asked just to make sure I wasn't hearing things.

"Don't see it as breakin' up. Just give me the ring back and we can get back to the good stuff."

"Oh okay," I replied. I swallowed my pride and handed him back the ring. Then we went right back to making out. I knew it wasn't right and that it wasn't at all healthy for me to be kissing Curly when he'd just broken up with me, but I felt broken without him. I needed to seem strong and tough like nothing could break me, and in order to do that I needed Curly. After we'd finished fooling around in his room, I walked down the stairs and came face to face with Angela.

"What are you doing in here?" she snapped. I hadn't seen her on the way in, but I guess she was waiting for a moment to strike.

"Making out with your brother," I smirked.

"Which one? Or was it both? Because we all know how you are," she laughed a cynical laugh that could make my ears bleed.

"Just Curly," I said. Then I added, "This time." Her eyes narrowed and she looked like she wanted to say something, but I didn't give her a chance to. I walked around her and out the front door. I stopped on the porch when I realized that I hadn't even asked Curly what he did to have the cops looking for him. I thought about going back in, but after what he said to me I decided against it.

I walked down the drive-way and started on the sidewalk when I heard someone calling my name. I turned to see Curly jogging down the drive-way.

"Hey, how 'bout I come over your house tomorrow night?" he suggested.

"Okay, but you have to come through my window, 'cause Two-Bit ain't gonna let you in the house," I said.

"Sure thing. See ya tomorrow night." He left me standing there in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling like a piece of shit. I held it together though.

I continued to walk to my house, fighting the tears that so desperately wanted to come out. Maybe being that way just isn't right. Maybe I shouldn't always be so rude to Ponyboy or anyone for that matter. Maybe I should just get a whole new outlook on life. Maybe I should do a lot of things, but I won't. I bumped into two girls on the way to my house and one glared at me and said,

"Watch it, fat ass."

"Excuse me?" I scoffed.

"You heard me. Maybe if you weren't walking around with such a big ass, you wouldn't have bumped into us." Her and the other girl laughed and for some reason I didn't want to put up a fight with them. I looked down to the ground and walked the rest of the distance back to my house.

When I got inside everything was quiet so that meant I was alone, again. I stepped up the stairs slowly and trudged into my room. I took a seat on my bed and wondered what was wrong with me. I mean, just because Curly broke up with me and Angela got pissed at me doesn't mean I need to go around being all mopey. No, I'm stronger than that...aren't I? I stood up to look in my mirror and I started to notice that I do have bit of a butt. Maybe that girl was right. Maybe I do have a fat ass. I decided to go on a diet, so I could look even better than those skanks.

* * *

><p><span>The Next Day At School<span>

This damn diet is hard. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do! I only ate breakfast because it's the most important meal of the day. Then I just skipped everything else and didn't eat for the rest of the day. If it could help me lose weight than I was up for the challenge. I looked around at the kids who were eating their sandwiches and everything else that's good. I wanted it so bad, but I reminded myself that I could not have it. I looked across the parking lot and saw Angela talking with some other girls. She kept glancing over at me, which meant she was talking about me. Let her! Why should I care what lies she's spreading around about me. She thinks that I'll start something with her just because of the things she says. Not uh, not going to happen.

I searched through my bag for my cigarettes and then I remembered that I'd finished the pack the day before. Crap. No food, no friend, no boyfriend, no cigarettes? Life truly couldn't get any worse. I dropped my head into my hands and groaned.

"Need one of these?" someone asked. I looked up to see Ponyboy standing there with a pack of cigarettes.

"No," I told him, looking the other way.

"You sure about that? You look mighty upset," he commented.

I looked up again at him and saw that it didn't look like he was going to pull anything so I shrugged and took the cigarette from him. I pulled out my red and black striped lighter and began to smoke. It did calm me down a lot and cured my hunger pains. But a whole new kind of pain came back when I saw Curly flirting with a couple of girls across the parking lot.

"Thought you two were together?" Ponyboy said as he took a seat next to me on the steps.

"Nope," I responded.

"What happened?" he asked.

"None of your business," I snapped.

"Just tryin' to be nice."

"Why?" I found myself asking.

"Well one of us has to be nice. Or somethin' like it anyways." Was that true? Is that how it's supposed to be?

"How come I can't be the nice one?" I teased.

"You tell me," he smirked with an eyebrow raised. I figured he'd picked up that trick from Two-Bit.

He had me there though. Why couldn't I be the nice one? I mean, yeah I'm a little rude sometimes, but that doesn't mean I can't be the nice one.

"I bet I can do it," I said.

"I'd like to see you try," he scoffed.

"You don't think I can do it, do you?" I stopped myself before I called him the name that I had in my head

"I bet you twenty bucks that you can't do it," he told me. Man, I'd do anything for twenty bucks, even if it meant being nice to Ponyboy.

"You're on," I laughed. We shook hands and the bet began. The actual bet was that I couldn't say one rude thing or do any rude actions towards Ponyboy. But he said that I couldn't ignore him or that would be cheating.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay! So yeah this was a little short, sorry! But what did you guys think of what happened with Angela and Valerie? Curly and Valerie? Ponyboy and Valerie? What do you guys think will happen with Valerie's whole dieting thing? Let me now by clicking that little review button right below this! Oh and if anyone has any suggestions, requests, or character ideas, PM me! :)


	5. Change of Heart?

**A/N: Hmm I don't really have much to say...but thanks for the reviews :)**

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><p><span>A Week Later (Friday)<span>

"Hey, Valerie, you think I look good in this shirt?" Ponyboy asked as he sat across me at his kitchen table.

"I guess," I answered as nicely as I could. He'd been throwing these questions at me ever since we made the bet. When Two-Bit dragged me into the Curtis' I didn't think he was just going to leave me there with Ponyboy, but there I was stuck with him.

"Really? That's so nice of you to say so," he replied, a smug smile on his face.

"Well that's just the kind of person I am; nice."

"Yeah you sure are nice. Nice enough to get me a pepsi?" he questioned.

"Well now, can't you get a pepsi for yourself?" I kept my tone light and happy even though in my head it was dripping with sarcasm.

"But it would be so nice of you to get one for me," he remarked.

I got out of my chair and opened up the fridge. I moved some things out of the way as I knew that Ponyboy liked to hide the pepsi in the back of the fridge so no one could find it. I grabbed the glass and even opened it up for him. I set it down on the table and waited for him to take his first drink. I figured I'd be nice and let him get a sip before he was wearing his drink. He grabbed the bottle and took a sip. When he set it back on the table I pretended to sneeze and "accidentally" push the bottle off the table and onto his lap. Luckily he caught the bottle so it didn't shatter into little pieces on the floor, but I hit it so hard that it got on his shirt and pants. It was hilarious, but I refrained from laughing for the bets sake.

"Dammit!" he yelled, standing up.

"Oh my god, Ponyboy, I am just so sorry! Man, am I clumsy or what?" I joked. He looked pissed and I couldn't tell if it was because he had pepsi all over him or the fact that I'd found a loophole in the bet.

"You did this on purpose," he accused me.

"Now why would I do that? I'm supposed to be nice to you, remember?" I inquired.

"Yeah it's real nice now that I have to go change," he smirked. Then he looked around the kitchen and I wasn't sure what the hell he was doing. Then as he reached for the hose attached to the sink, I knew what was coming my way. He pressed on the trigger and the cold water hit my clothes, my hair, everything. Suddenly the water stopped and he looked pretty damn pleased with himself.

"I really can't believe you just did that," I fumed.

"Well I guess I'm just too damn clumsy," he laughed.

"Now I'm soaking wet! Who knows when Two-Bit will get back and I'm not walking all the way to my house with wet clothes on!" I shouted.

"Calm down. Follow me," he said. I was reluctant to follow, but I ended up in his room anyway. He told me to stand in the middle of the room and not touch anything and I didn't argue with that. He came back after a minute with a towel.

"What was the point of getting me all soaking wet if you were just gonna give me a towel anyways?" I asked.

"Thought it'd be funny. But then I kinda felt bad about it," he answered. He crossed the room and began going through his drawers. He pulled out a pair of gray sweat pants and a blue T-shirt.

"Here," he handed the clothes to me. I wanted to ask him why he was doing this. Why he even bothered to give me a change of clothes. Why he felt bad about spraying me. Why he even cared. But I didn't.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"No problem. I'm gonna go see if I can rinse these sticky crap off of me. You can um, get changed in here I guess."

He left the room and I closed the door so I could get changed. I just hoped Soda didn't come barreling through the house and to his room before I could get changed. I had to roll the sweat pants at the top because they were a little big. The shirt was big too so I just tied it wit a hair tie in the back.

"Dude, these pants are huge..." I trailed off when I saw Ponyboy standing outside the bathroom clad in only a towel. I hadn't noticed before, but he actually had abs.

"Sorry, I don't have anything else to fit ya. You're too small for my clothes and Soda and Darry are both bigger than me."

"You think I'm small?" I questioned.

"Well I guess," he rubbed the back of his neck and I swear I saw a blush on his cheeks.

"I mean you don't think I'm like...too not small?" I asked. I was trying to be as discreet about asking him this as I could. It'd been a week since I started the diet and no one knew about it.

"Are you asking me if I think you're...No, Valerie, I don't think you're too not small," he responded.

"Are you sure?" I pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure. You're one of the pret- I mean skinniest girls I know."

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter anyways I guess," I said, looking down to the floor.

"You know, you really shouldn't listen to what other people say about you. They're usually wrong." He didn't give me a chance to respond and walked to his room.

I was kind of happy that he'd told me that he didn't think I was fat. Not that I really care about what he says, but it just made me feel a little better to know that someone disagreed with those girls. I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table for a few minutes. I was beginning to think I would go insane with the silence in the house.

"Hey hey! We're home!" Soda shouted as he walked through the door with Steve. I was thankful that someone had finally come by.

"Hey, Soda. Hey, Stevie," I said as I dug through Ponboy's cigarette carton and pulled one out.

"Hey there, baby girl," Soda smirked.

"Hey, Valerie," Steve opted for the better choice of words.

"Did you take that cigarette from my pack?" Ponyboy asked as he walked into the living room.

"Yeah," I answered simply.

"Ooh you gonna lose the bet? Huh? Huh?" Soda laughed.

"No, I'm not gonna lose the bet because I'm a winner, Soda," I retorted.

"Winner my ass. Hate to admit it, but he's got more manners than you do," Steve commented.

"Asshole," I muttered.

"You know what I've never seen you two do?" Soda asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Hug," he answered with a smile. I just about laughed at that. Never in a million years would I hug Ponyboy. Nope, that just wasn't going to happen.

"Yeah, he's right. We've never hugged. That's a real shame. How 'bout you give me a hug," Ponyboy's voice sounded like he was straining to keep it under control. He was probably trying not to laugh. I looked at the boys and realized how serious they were.

"I'm not hugging you," I said to Ponyboy.

"Well why not?" he asked, feighning curiousity.

"'Cause I don't want to hug you."

"I don't think that's very nice," he noted.

"Oh please, it ain't gonna hurt you if I don't give ya a hug," I smirked.

"Then gimme that cigarette back," he ordered.

"Why can't you just let me have it? Or are you trying to be rude about this?"

"Maybe I am."

"Oh well," I slightly laughed.

"You're being pretty stupid right now," he informed me.

"I'm being stupid? You're the idiot here!" I shouted. The grin on his face alarmed me of what I had just done. "No, no, no, no, no I take it back!"

"You can't take it back. Hand over that twenty bucks," he demanded.

"Here's the thing...I don't exactly have twenty bucks," I confessed.

"So you made this bet knowin' that you wouldn't be able to pay me if you lost?" he asked.

"Yup. Pretty much," I replied, adding as much sass as I wanted. Now that the bet was over, I could be as rude as I wanted towards Ponyboy.

"You're a cheat and I ain't ever makin' another bet with you."

"Good to know," I said with little interest.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get you back for that," he told me.

"Didn't you already do that when you got me all wet!" I yelled.

Soda and Steve both gave me confused looks and then looked down at my clothes. I guess they were noticing for the first time that I was wearing Ponyboy's clothes.

"What happened?" Soda asked.

"Well he grabbed the hose from the sink and-"

"No, she spilled my drink on me and then I sprayed her," Pony said, cutting me off.

"Sounds like a good time," Soda smiled.

"Would've been better if it weren't with him," I grumbled. Ponyboy rolled his eyes and grabbed the cigarette from my hand. Dispite my efforts to get it back he held it above my head with no problem.

"You two are funny, I'll tell ya that!" Soda jeered. I gave him a glare and he put his hands up to show that he was done poking fun.

Two-Bit walked in and I thanked God that he was finally back. He strolled over to us and looked me up and down. He titled his head to the side and looked at Ponyboy, probably noticing his wet and ungreased hair.

"What happened to you two?" he questioned. I told him what had happened and he thought it was funny. He even complimented Ponyboy on spraying me. Sometimes I wonder if he likes Pony more than me...

* * *

><p>"You gonna run over and give Pony his clothes back?" Two-Bit asked me. I was finishing getting ready to "go to a party with Angela" in my room and he was leaning in the doorway. Truth was I wasn't going to the party with Angela. I wasn't going with anyone actually. I had heard that Curly would be there so of course I had to go.<p>

"Can't you do that?" I groaned.

"Nope."

"Okay fine. Whatever, let's go." I made a move to leave the room, but Two-Bit pushed my face back with his hand. It was really gross too because it's smelled like beer and cigarettes.

"You wanna put the rest of your clothes on?" he smirked.

"This is what I'm wearing. Deal with it," I shouted as I ran around him and managed to avoid his grasp. I knew he'd be mad about what I was wearing, but in all honesty I didn't care. I had on a hot pink mini-skirt with a black tube top that only covered about half of my stomach. I had my matching hot pink pumps and hoop earrings on. Along with all of this I sort of curled my hair and had mascara, gray eye shadow, cherry red lipstick, and a little blush on. I'll admit, I did not look like a fourteen year old girl, but then again I was trying to look older than I was. There would be a bunch of older kids at this party and I needed to fit in as much as possible.

When we got to the Curtis' I unwillingly got out of Two-Bit's car and made my way up to the porch where Ponyboy was sleeping. I shifted my weight to the right side and thought about how I should wake him up. I decided to kick him really hard and it definitely worked.

"Ow!" he hollered, getting off the porch couch. He seemed angry, but then when he looked at me he completely changed.

"Good, you're awake," I said.

"V-Valerie? Um, w-what are you, uh, doin' here?" he stuttered as his cheeks turned a light pink.

"Well Two-Bit made me come and give you back your clothes," I answered, eyeing him strangely.

"Oh, right. The clothes. Okay," he said. I stuck out the hand that was holding his clothes and he slowly took it. I felt my fingers brush against his and it sent shivers down my spine.

"Um, yeah. I guess I'm gonna get goin'," I told him uneasily. I wasn't sure what the feelings that I was having meant, but it was all very strange.

"Okay," he responded.

I turned to walk down the porch steps, but stopped to look at him and asked, "You wanna go to a party tonight?" Usually I went to a party with Curly or Angela, but this time I didn't have anyone and Ponyboy just happened to be there.

"A party? Tonight? Where?"

"Yeah. At some guy from school's house. Should be pretty boss," I replied.

"I don't know..."

"Oh come on, Ponyboy. It'll be fun," I managed a smile. I seriously didn't want to go alone to this party and for some reason I was hating him a little less.

"Okay. I'll be right back," he said.

I stood there and waited about five minutes for him to come back. I stopped him and looked him over to make sure that what he was wearing was okay. I decided that his black T-shirt and light wash jeans were fine.

"Two-Bit, Ponyboy's comin' with me," I told him as I climbed into the car.

"You two are goin' to a party together? Try not to kill each other," he laughed.

"Ha-ha, Two-Bit," I commented.

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><p><strong>AN: Hmmm, so what do you guys think is gonna happen at the party? Seems as though Valerie may be having a change of heart, huh? Ah, but everything is not as it seems.. :P Well leave me a nice review and if you PM me I might just give you a little taste of what's to come :)**


	6. Drunk as a Skunk

A/N: Wow you guys are soo awesome! And for being awesome, I have decided to reward you with...a chapter from the POV of Ponyboy ;)

Disclaimer: I only own Valerie and other characters not from the Outsiders...S.E. Hinton owns the Outsiders!

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><p><span>Ponyboy's POV<span>

It's just a party. That's what I kept telling myself on the way there. It didn't mean anything because it's just a party. I could see Valerie playing with the hem of her skirt out of the corner of my eye. She seemed off, but I couldn't figure out why. She'd been off all day though. Maybe it had something to do with the bet...or maybe not. Maybe she was picking up on all my goofy awkwardness. I had tried to keep it a secret all these years, but she's really bringing it out of me. I just can't help it; I think she's cute. No, I think she's more than cute, I think she's pretty. But it's not like it matters because I wouldn't have a clue what to do with her. She's got all the experience and she'd probably just laugh at me if I tried anything. But then again, she did ask me to come to this party with her...Did she mean like as a date? I thought she hated me -like really hated me- and here she was asking me to go to a party with her. Girls are confusing.

"Ponyboy," Valerie called, snapping me out of my thoughts, "We're here."

I looked from the window to her shining light gray eyes. _Just like Two-Bit's_, I thought to myself. She was looking at me, but again like I said something was off.

"Oh, okay," I responded. I got out of the car, said goodbye to Two-Bit, and waited for Valerie to cross in front of the car before meeting her.

"You are so not ready for this party, are you?" she laughed.

"Yeah I am," I countered.

"Whatever you say," she sing-songed. She walked in front of me and I quickly followed her.

The music was blasting as we entered the house that belonged to someone I didn't know. Valerie had said it was some guy from school's house, but that really didn't clarify who it was. I knew a few people there, but probably not as many as Valerie did. Some how she knew a lot of people, yet she never talked to anyone but Angela.

I felt something on my hand and realized it was Valerie pulling me through the crowd of people. We finally got to the kitchen and she grabbed two beers out of one of the many coolers sitting around the kitchen. She handed me a beer and I popped it open. It wasn't very often that I got to have a drink, thanks to Darry's rules. Valerie downed her drink in a matter of seconds and I wasn't surprised. If her and Two-Bit had anything in common it was their stormy eyes and their love of beer. She pulled out another beer and guzzled that one down the same as the first one.

"Valerie?" Curly asked as he walked into the kitchen with his arm around a blonde girl that I recognized from around school.

"Curly," she said. It was more like something to say and not like she actually wanted to talk to him.

"What are you doin' here? You come to see me?" He removed his arm from the girl and draped it over Valerie's shoulder.

"Maybe," she answered. That answer hit me like a hammer. I thought maybe she had really wanted to come with me, but she just didn't want to show up alone. Curly whispered something in her ear and she shoved him. Hard. He staggered backwards and almost fell, but regained his balance at the last minute.

"Damn broad, I knew it was a good thing that I broke up with you," he slurred.

"Fuck off, Curly," she snapped. He smirked at her and turned to other girl who was standing there looking as dumb as she probably was. He grabbed her hard and kissed her. Sometimes I wished I could be like Curly and have all that confidence. Then I probably wouldn't still be waiting for my first kiss or my first girlfriend.

Valerie watched as Curly kissed the other girl and I could see it was tearing her apart. Of course she would never admit that out loud, but I could see it in her eyes. She didn't move though, she just stood there and I assumed she was waiting for Curly to leave first. He did eventually leave and Valerie let out a heavy breath.

"You okay?" I questioned.

"Oh, I'm fine," she answered without meeting my eyes. Not that I expected her to. She poured something in a glass and took two quick sips to finish the drink. Then she repeated that process and I raised my eyebrows at her. She sent me a glare that had me looking the other way in a matter of seconds. I knew she was going to get drunk before it happened, which is why I stayed relatively sober. I had only gotten drunk one time and that was a mess. Soda had to help me hide the hangover from Darry and luckily he didn't care enough to notice. I wasn't exactly a big fan of getting drunk so it wasn't something that was hard to resist for me.

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><p>"Let's dance!" Valerie yelled over the music. She didn't give me time to respond before she grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the middle of what was supposed to be the dance floor. I can dance fairly well, not great, but I'm okay. When Valerie wrapped her arms around my neck my breathing became uneven. I was closer to her than I'd ever been with another girl. I forced my hands to lightly grip her waist and swallowed hard when I took in her scent. She smelled great, like roses and...something tropical. She kept pulling her shirt up because while she was moving -to my delight- it kept falling down. I wasn't sure where to look because everytime I looked down I found myself looking at Valerie's chest and everytime I looked at her she smiled. Her smile was enough to make me blush everytime.<p>

"Valerie, you're really drunk," I told her, leaning towards her to say it in her ear.

"I know!" she giggled.

I began to lean back, but she tightened her arms around my neck causing me stay close to her. I could feel her body against mine as she moved to whatever song was playing. I really wasn't paying attention to the music. I was just paying attention to the drunk, pretty girl that I was dancing with. She looked at me and looked like she was thinking something over. I wondered what she could possibly be thinking about while being drunk as a skunk, but I didn't get as much time as I would've liked to think about it. With the shoes she had on, she stood about the same height as me so all she had to do was lean in a little bit closer. And that's exactly what she did. Without warning she brought my face closer to hers and kissed me. My first kiss and it's with Valerie Mathews. Who would have thought it? Not me, that's for sure.

I got back to reality and kissed her to the best of my ability. It's not like I had any experience so I wasn't one hundred percent sure what I was doing. But I'm not stupid so I mimicked her actions and wrapped my arms tighter around her waist. It's not what I thought kissing her would be like. I always pictured it happening at my place or hers, not at some party where she got drunk. But no matter the place, I still got to kiss her. We slowly pulled apart and she let a giggle escape her lips.

"You're a good kisser," she noted.

"Y-You too," I replied. _You too?_ What is wrong with me? I could feel my cheeks getting hot and I just hoped she didn't notice.

"I'm bored. Can we leave?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"Well we gotta call Two-Bit first," I told her.

"I don't feel like waiting for that bum. Let's just get outta here." I once again let her guide me through the other people and out into the fresh September night. She began to stumble down the street and I had hold onto her waist to keep her from falling over.

I knocked on the Mathews' front door, but I got no answer. I wondered if Two-Bit was even there, which he probably wasn't. Valerie pushed open the door and began to totter towards the stairs. I couldn't just let her wobble until she fell down the stairs so I ran in after her. I steadied her up the stairs and when we passed Two-Bit's room I checked to see if he was in there. Of course he wasn't; he was probably still out partying.

I sat Valerie down on her bed and she fell onto the pillows. I figured my job was done so I started to leave, but a small voice begged me to stop.

"Ponyboy," Valerie's muffled voice called. I turned back to look at her. She was now sitting up on the bed.

"Valerie, you really need to get some sleep," I informed her.

"No, I-I can't sleep. Not without you here," she began to lightly sob, burrying her face in her hands. I didn't say anything. I just took a seat next to her on her bed.

"You can't leave. Not like him...not like him," she continued to cry.

"Not like who?" I asked.

"Like him!" she tried to yell, but it just came out in a slurred mess.

"Okay, I won't leave," I assured her.

"You can't you leave...not like him," she murmered again, resting her head on my shoulder. She kept repeating herself until finally she stopped crying and dozed off. I gently positioned her so she was lying under her blankets after I removed her shoes. I was almost out of the room when again she woke up.

"Pony?" she called. I sighed and told myself not to turn around. It was already 11:15 and Darry would skin me if I got home late. But telling myself that didn't seem to work. I turned around and she was trying to keep her eyes open.

"Valerie, you need to get some sleep," I told her again.

"But you said you wouldn't leave...You're just like him," she began to cry again.

"Look, I don't know who you're talking about, but...but I won't leave you, okay?" I'd never seen Valerie so vulnerable. She always made a point not to cry over things and get upset, but I guess drunk Valerie is the opposite.

I took a seat next to her and she tugged at my arm until I gave in and laid down next to her. She was turned towards me as she rested her head against my chest. I wasn't planning on staying with her all night, but I had to at least make her think I was.

"I'm sorry...y-you're not like him." Her words were garbled and I could barely understand them.

"It's okay," I responded. I still wasn't sure who she was talking about, but she didn't seem to care.

"No, it's not...He was...he was a bad man," she weeped.

Her dad was who she was crying about. I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it untill she said he was a bad man. She was right. I knew how bad he was to some extent, but I'm sure he was worse than I knew. I knew that he usually came home drunk and treated his family like shit, but it seemed like there was more to it then that.

"I know. Shhh," I calmed her. She started to sink more into my body and I felt my eyelids growing heavier with each blink. I tried to stay awake so I could leave when she fell asleep, but I failed miserably.

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><p>I woke up and looked around. I started to get that <em>Where the hell am I?<em> feeling, but then I remembered what had happened at the party. The kiss and falling asleep with Valerie in my arms. But along with those wonderous feelings, I got another feeling; guilt. Darry was probably a mess, wondering where I was. After what happened the last time I didn't come home, I couldn't blame him. I looked to see Valerie not even next to me anymore. I slowly got up and walked out of her room. I could hear light snoring and the water running in the bathroom so I figured she was taking a shower.

I decided to go home first to let Darry and Soda know that I was fine, and then I'd come back to talk to Valerie. I crept out of the house being sure not to wake up Two-Bit, who I'm sure was the one snoring. I walked down the few streets that were in-between my house and Valerie's and carefully opened the door.

"Oh hey, Pony," Soda grinned. There was something else to the grin though, something like...a certain knowing.

"Hey, Soda. Where's Darry?" I asked. I didn't expect Soda to be too upset that I hadn't come home because he always thought optimistically. It was Darry who I was afraid of.

"He's in the kitchen," Soda answered. I nodded and walked into the kitchen where Darry was making breakfast.

"Hey there, Pony," Darry greeted.

"Listen, Dar, I'm real sorry I didn't come home last night. I just-"

"Slow down, kid. Two-Bit called last night and told me that you fell asleep over there."

"Oh." I guess that's why no one seemed upset that I'd been gone all night.

"He said you fell asleep with Valerie," Soda noted with a wink as he joined us in the kitchen.

"Shut up," I said while trying to hide the smile that was on my face.

"What's up with that? Huh? You two ain't ever got along."

"Yeah, well sometimes people change," I told him.

"So you two slept in the same bed?" he questioned. The sly grin on his face showed me that he wasn't at all thinking about sleep. My cheeks went red at what he was implying.

"Yeah. We slept in the same bed. But only 'cause she got real upset about me leavin'."

"Well ain't that cute. Pone's got himself a girlfriend."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Darry commented.

"Aww hush, you guys. She ain't my girlfriend," I snapped. They both went quiet, but I saw the glances they were giving each other and knew that they had the same silent language as Soda and I.

I went into Soda and I's room to get changed and then told Darry I was going back to the Mathews' house. Soda yelled for me to use protection and Darry slapped him on the head, but still gave me a stern look. God, my brothers are something else.

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><p>AN: Hmm so now you know some things you did not know before...Wanna review about it? I bet you do! Let me know what you think it is gonna happen now and what you think about what happened between Pony and Valerie! :)


	7. Friends At Last

**A/N: Soo I know I took a little longer than expected to update, sorry about that! But anyways here is the new chapter :) Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Back to Valerie's POV (from the same place that Ponyboy's started)<span>

I woke up and felt something warm. It almost felt like a body, but I didn't want to risk moving too much for fear of losing the heat. I opened my eyes and was shocked to find Ponyboy to be the body that I was laying with. How the hell did that happen? I tried to remember how I got there, but my head hurt so much. I forced myself to think again and this time I remembered. I remembered how I'd gone to the party with Ponyboy, gotten a little drunk, kissed him, and come back to my house to fall asleep. Oh god, I kissed him. I must have been really drunk if I kissed him.

I gradually removed his arm from my shoulder and got out of bed. I walked to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. _You don't just kiss Ponyboy for no reason, even if you were drunk, _a small voice in the back of my head said. I ignored this voice, though because the only reason I kissed him was because I was drunk. _Not uh, you kissed him because you like him,_ the voice argued. I shook my head to try and get this strange voice out of my head. I figured I caught Two-Bit's severe case of crazy and was now hearing voices in my head. I started the shower and took a deep breath as the warm water hit my skin.

I got out of the shower and crept down the hallway until I reached my bedroom. To my surprise Ponyboy was gone. I thought maybe it had all been a figment of my imagination, but I knew that it wasn't. I heard something and wondered if Ponyboy was still there.

"Hello?" I half whispered, half asked.

"Oh you're up," Two-Bit said, coming out of his room. So it hadn't been Pony. I guess he just left then.

"Uh yeah." I turned to answer him and then tried to enter my room, but he stopped me.

"Hold it," he commanded, causing me to turn around, "What's goin' on with you and Ponyboy?" He didn't smile or anything, I think he was being serious about it.

"Nothing," I answered honestly.

"Well there must be somethin' goin' on. Y'all were...well layin' with each other and all."

"I got drunk. I don't really remember anything," I lied.

"Alright then," he replied. He retreated back to his room and I went to mine. It was Saturday and I planned on having a lazy day, especially since I had such a bad hangover. Mine were never as bad as Two-Bit's though, thank the Lord for that. All I needed was a glass of water and I'd be good. I got dressed in a pair of black sweat pants that used to be Two-Bit's and a red tank top and went downstairs. Someone knocked on the door and I really didn't want to open it, but I did anyways.

"Hey," Ponyboy said as he looked up from the ground to me.

"Oh, um, hi," I responded awkwardly. I kept looking at different things, none of them being Ponyboy.

"Can I come in?" he asked. I nodded and opened the door wider so he could come in.

"So..." I started, but I didn't know how to finish. I mean, things were kind of awkward because of the kiss.

"So I think we should talk," he informed me.

"About?"

"Come on, you know what I'm talkin' about."

"Well, yeah I do, but I don't think we need to talk about it. It happened and it's over with," I said.

"That's it?" he questioned, furrowing his brows.

"Yes, that's it. I was drunk, Ponyboy."

"I know you were, but..." he trailed off with a shrug.

"But what?" I dared to ask.

"But...nothin'. You're right, it happened and it's over with."

"Good," I replied.

"Friends?" he inquired and stuck out his right hand.

"Friends?" I asked.

"Yeah...I mean we're always fighting and stuff, but it really doesn't do anyone any good."

"I...I guess we're friends then." I shook his hand and even let a smile slip.

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><p><span>Five Hours Later (around 1:00)<span>

"So wait, you don't even like school?" I asked Ponyboy as we sat on my porch steps and talked. We'd been talking for hours, but neither of realized it. After talking to him for so long, I realized that he was actually a really nice guy.

"It's okay, but Darry wants me to get straight A's every year so I have to pretend to be really into it," he answered.

"That blows," I commented.

"Yeah I guess. I don't really get why he wants me to do so good."

"'Cause he wants you to go to college."

"What if I don't even make it to college? Just 'cause I get straight A's doesn't mean I'm gonna get a scholarship," he noted.

I let a frustrated groan, "Pony, you're so annoying!"

He raised his eyebrows at me, but didn't say anything so I spoke again,

"I just mean everyone knows you're gonna go to college, even you know that. You're always acting like you're not smart enough for it or some other stupid reason."

"But-"

"No, you know what? It's ridiculous how you act like that! It's like you don't even understand how important it is that you're gonna get to go to college, while the rest of us waste away in this dump!" I exploded.

"You wanna go to college, Valerie?" he asked so calmly it scared me.

I looked down at the ground and tried not to respond to him, but he asked the same question again.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Really?"

"I guess. I sure as hell ain't gonna stick around here forever."

"I think you should go for it," he told me. I looked over at him and he had some stupid, goofy grin on his face.

"I don't know. Who knows if I'll even have the grades to get a scholarship."

"What do you wanna study?"

"It's stupid. You wouldn't get it; you'd just laugh at me," I sighed.

"I promise I won't laugh, no matter what crazy dream you have," he said seriously, but kept the grin.

"I...I really wanna go to New York City's School for the Arts," I admitted.

"The arts? What kind of art are you talking about exactly?"

"Theater," I said quietly, looking back down.

"Theater? Really?" he asked and I nodded, "Well that's...really cool. If we both get in, you'll still be stuck with me."

"Huh?" I questioned.

"I'm lookin' at the same college as you. For writing," he answered.

"Seriously?" He nodded and I shoved his arm, lightly. He gave me a shove back and I let out a laugh.

"You do not wanna mess with me," I warned him.

"You're not as scary as you like to think," he smirked.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

Before I knew it we were wrestling on the lawn and I was winning. But just as I got him pinned down, he flipped me over and I landed on my back with a thud. He hovered over me and I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. He stared into mine as I stared into his and I felt like the whole world had stopped. I hate sounding like a such a girl like that, but that's honestly what it felt like. I tried to say something, but no words would come out of my mouth.

"Hey!" a voice called.

Ponyboy leaned back and I leaned up on my elbows to see Curly storming across the lawn. Before I could stop him, he pulled Pony up by the collar of his shirt and punched him in the stomach.

"Curly!" I shouted.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Curly asked Pony.

"Look, man, I don't know what you're talkin' about," Pony said slowly.

"You know damn well what I'm talkin' about! Why the hell'd you kiss my girl?"

"What?" Pony asked. He seemed genuinley confused.

"I saw you two at the party last night. Next time you might wanna think about who you're kissin'."

"Curly, I kissed him and I'm not even your girl anymore," I interrupted with a smirk.

"Why?" he asked, releasing Pony. He ignored my comment about not being his girl; probably so we wouldn't get into the whole jealousy topic.

"'Um, I was drunk?" I tried.

I wasn't exactly sure what his response would be, but I didn't think he'd be so harsh about it. He took a few steps closer to me and raised his fist. I gulped, preparing for the worst.

"You no good, slut. You're just like they said you were," he spat. Instead of hitting me -like I thought he was going to- he gripped my arm and pushed me back down to the ground. I was close to tears, but again for my own sake I stayed strong. I sat there and looked angrily at the ground, and held my sore arm.

"What did you say to her?" I heard Pony say. I was too embarrased to look up though.

"I said she's a no good slut and that's what she is," Curly retorted.

"She's not a slut, Shepard. Actually I don't know why she was with you, when all you do is go out with sluts." This was really the first time I recall seeing him so...tough.

"My girls are fine. It's her who's the slut."

I finally gave up and let the tears fall out of my eyes. I stood up and ran into my house, but I could still hear the shouting coming from outside. I ignored them and stumbled up the stairs and into my room. After I slammed the door I laid on my bed and let more tears flow out. It felt like forever before I heard my door open and shut.

"Valerie?" someone called.

I looked up from the pillow that I was burrowing my face in and saw Ponyboy standing there with a black eye already forming on his face and a bruise on his left cheek. I sat up and started to play with my hands, while tears rolled down my cheeks. Pony crossed the room, pulled me up from my seat, and wrapped his arms around me. I thought about pushing him away at first, but it didn't matter. He had already seen me cry and my walls were slowly crashing down.

"P-Pony, I can't do this anymore," I sobbed, "I-I can't h-hold up these w-walls anymore."

"Shhh," he told me. In response I cried more into his shirt as he ran his hands up and down my back.

"I-I just don't know what to d-do."

"It's okay. You're gonna be fine, Valerie, I promise."

"How do you know?" I asked. He pulled away a little, and kept one arm on my back while he used the other to thumb away the mascara that was probably all over my face.

"I just do."

"How'd you get the bruise?" I asked, as I ran my fingers across the bruise on his cheek. He winced a little and I pulled my hand away.

"Got in a fight after you ran in here," he answered.

"You fought Curly?" I tried to hide the surprise in my voice, but I just couldn't believe Ponyboy would actually fight Curly.

"He was bein' a jerk to you," he said with a shrug.

"So you fought him because?"

"Because I didn't like the way he was talkin' to you," he sighed, running his hand through his hair and stepping away from me.

"Pony, how long have you wanted to be friends?" I questioned.

"I don't know...a while I guess, but you just hated me so much and I didn't want you to hate me more," he confessed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"Why do you hate me anyways?"

I sat on the bed and he took a seat next to me as I began my explanation, "It's just...I don't get to hang out with Two-Bit that much, but when I do he doesn't seem interested and whenever he hangs out with you I can see the obvious change. It's like he'd rather have you for a sibling than me."

"So you're jealous?"

"I'm not jealous," I snapped.

"I know how you feel, ya know. I mean Darry doesn't even want to hang out with me and Soda well Soda tries, but he's either with Steve or some girl."

"I don't hate you," I admitted quietly.

"Sure seems like it."

"I'll admit I didn't really like you too much, but I guess I never got over what happened when we were kids and Two-Bit liking you more than me just added to it. But I never actually hated you, even if I've said I do."

"You mean about the sand throwing incident? Damn, you sure can hold a grudge," he chuckled.

"I got over that a while ago, but I never got over how much Two-Bit likes you."

"You can have Soda if ya want," he joked. I looked at him with a glare, but ended up smiling.

"No thanks. Soda's gonna make me go soft."

"You're a girl, ain't you supposed to be soft?"

"No!" I shouted. He started laughing at my anger and I felt myself trying to hold back a laugh. I suddenly realized that this could be the start to a less than beautiful friendship.

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><p><strong>AN: Hmmm so now you know why Valerie hates/hated Ponyboy! Yes, I decided not to make her mean about the kiss because I have other things in store :) hehe. So let me know how you felt about Pony and Valerie becoming friends and Curly being...well Curly and all that fun stuff!**


	8. It's Cold, But I like it

A/N: Thank you guys sooo much for all the reviews! Wow, I think that's like the most reviews I've ever gotten! You guys are amazing :)

Disclaimer: I only own Valerie and other characters that may appear that are not from the book! S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders, not me :P

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><p>What was going on with the weather? It's like everything had just frozen over -that's how cold it was. Usually by the end of November it was a little cold, but not this bad! And it was snowing like crazy outside, but they said it wasn't supposed to get really bad until the middle of the night. At least I was in my house though, where it was kind of warm. Okay so it wasn't warm at all because my mom was trying to save money on heat and I was freezing my ass off.<p>

"Damn, it's so cold in here," I whined.

"You ain't kiddin'," Pony commented. He rubbed the sides of his arms to emphasize the chills that were going through him.

I groaned once more after looking down at the worksheet in front of me. I was no good with math and Ponyboy had convinced me to let him help me out with some homework. He was incredibly good at everything that had to with school and all I could do was get A's on tests.

"Just try and work out the problem by yourself this time," he told me.

"But I don't get it. This is stupid," I said.

I gripped the pencil so hard it snapped in half and nearly scared me right out of my skin. I jumped about a foot and a half out of my seat and landed on Ponyboy's lap. His ears turned a tomato red as did mine. I attempted to get out of his lap, but the damn couch made everything a pain in the ass. My couch dipped in and because Ponyboy was sitting on the dip it made it _that_ much harder to get up.

"Okay, wait, maybe if I..." I thought aloud, continuing the rest of the thought in my head. I put one knee on the other side of Ponyboy and I planned on pushing myself up, but instead I fell into him and was now straddling him. I had to quickly put my hands on his chest to keep myself from completely crashing into him. If his ears weren't red before, they were about as dark as red can get now. I felt my own cheeks start to get hot and it was not something I was used to. Usually I was cool and calm around boys. I usually would have taken this opportunity to get a little making out in, but not with Ponyboy. No, never with Ponyboy.

"Maybe if you go here and I..." he trailed off, as he looked behind me. I managed to turn my head and see Two-Bit standing at the foot of the stairs with one cocked eyebrow. I tried to explain what had happened, but he merely laughed and told us that he was going over to Bucks'.

"All this, 'cause of a stupid pencil?" Ponyboy joked.

"It scared me. It's not like I was actually trying to get in your lap," I retorted.

"Kinda seems like you were," he continued.

"Oh please, don't flatter youself."

I hadn't taken into consideration that I was wearing a rather short skirt and I was still straddling him. But his eyes brought those two thoughts to my head. I caught him as he glanced downwards and continued upward until he met my eyes. I smirked at him and he looked away, blushing again.

He eventually scooped me up and sat me back down on the couch. I stared in amazement at how easy it was for him to pick me up.

"Am I that light, or are you just that strong?" I questioned.

"You're really light," he answered.

I looked away, knowing that if I looked at him he would probably get the answer to why I was so light. I had gone on a steady "no food, just water" diet a little while after those girls had said something and even though I was down to ninety-nine pounds, I felt like crap. And I even tried to get off the diet, but it made me feel even worse when I did that. Plus, I was always light headed and I barely had any energy anymore.

"Somethin' you wanna tell me, Val?" he asked. Oh yeah another thing, I had given Ponyboy permission to call me "Val" instead of "Valerie", which was a privilege that was previously only held by my mom and my brother.

"No," I responded quickly.

"Valerie, come on. I'm not stupid. You're way lighter than you were before and you've obviously lost weight. What's goin' on?"

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, "I...haven't been eating for almost two months."

"Two months?" he yelled.

"Well I mean, I eat sometimes, but I try to eat as little as possible."

"You can't do that to yourself," he informed me, getting off the couch and walking around. I assumed he was doing it so he wouldn't explode, even though I'd never seen him explode before.

"You don't have a say in what I do or do not do," I snapped.

"Maybe not, but I do care about you," he said.

"Oh cut the shit, Ponyboy, you don't care about me, okay?" I stood up and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"I do care about you, Valerie. A lot more than you think!" he shouted.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, a little more calmly now.

"That I-"

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as the lights went out. It was dark, pitch black dark so I couldn't see a thing. I knew Ponyboy was somewhere across the room, but I couldn't see him.

"Val, are you okay?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where are you?" I responded.

"Just listen to my voice," he commanded, "I'm gonna put my hand out, just reach out and try to find it."

I reached out and swiped my hand through the air for a while, until I finally felt Ponyboy's hand. He wrapped his hand around mine and I was glad the lights were out because I knew I was blushing. I didn't even know where he was taking me, and that's sad that I don't know my own house.

"I guess the storm got worse," Pony noted.

"Guess so," I replied.

Pony and I found a few candles because we couldn't find any flashlights, if there were even any in the house. We got a call from Darry, who wanted to make sure we were okay. He told us that they were listening to the radio and the news reporter said that they weren't sure when the storm would be over or when we'd get our electricity back. I groaned at this and at the same time my stomach growled. Ponyboy actually forced me to eat two peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, which made me feel a lot better. He then made me drink what was left of the milk and I did as I was told. I never liked being on the diet, but I thought everyone saw me the same way as those girls did.

"I'm so cold," I complained.

"Come here, then," Ponyboy said.

I crawled closer to him on the couch and he put his arm around me. We were huddled under a few blankets and even with all that we were still cold. I pressed myself against him more so that I could feel his body heat. I had managed to get changed into red sweatpants and a plain, white long-sleeved shirt without hurting myself and it did help with the warmth problem a little.

"I hate this," I continued.

"Maybe if you shut up you'll be warmer." I shoved his chest and he chuckled. I could almost see him looking at me because we only had one candle in that room and it didn't light up much.

"You never told me what you were gonna say earlier," I said.

"Oh, well it doesn't really matter," he said, quietly. I knew he was looking away so I turned his head to look at me.

"Yes, it does."

He ran his thumb over my cheek and gently raised my chin a bit higher. He brought his face inches away from mine and whispered,

"I've been in love with you for as long as I've known you."

Our lips barely touched and I was afraid he'd hear how hard my heart was thumping. I never thought I'd feel that way about Ponyboy, but I was so very, very wrong. He was everything I needed, probably more than that. I swallowed hard and he finished the job. As his lips pressed softly against mine I smiled into the kiss. We both pulled away, but our faces stayed close.

"That was..." I tried to find the right word and finally came up with it, "nice."

"Yeah," he agreed as he ran his hand through the back of my hair and pulled me in for another kiss.

"This is weird," I sighed.

"It is."

As if the gods had been watching the entire awkward kiss going on, the lights came back on and a nearly frost bitten Two-Bit and a pissed off Dally came through the door.

"Fuck, they're fine, man," Dally commented.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, moving out of the blanket and away from Ponyboy.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay," Two-Bit answered as he wiped some of the snow out of his hair.

"We're fine."

Dally walked over to Ponyboy and pulled him up by his shirt and studied him closely. After it seemed like he'd found the something that he'd been looking for he laughed.

"Who've you been kissin', kid?"

"Uh, uh, no one," Ponyboy answered uneasily.

"Yeah, sure. You might wanna wipe that lipstick off your face then." Ponyboy glanced over to me and I looked down.

"Anyways, I'm headin' back to Bucks' with Dal. Pony, your big bro told me to tell you to get your butt home as soon as ya can," Two-Bit said.

"Okay, can you give me a ride?" Ponyboy responded. Two-Bit nodded and Dally mumbled something inaudible.

Pony said a quick goodbye to me and I nodded, "Bye."

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><p>I walked out of my house and into the coldness of outside. I was all by myself at the house because Two-Bit, Dally, and Ponyboy had left over an hour ago and I didn't know what to do. I started to walk around in my jeans, converse, a long sleeve shirt, and some gloves. Yeah, so I wasn't exactly dressed for the weather, but so what?<p>

I'd been walking so long that I didn't know where I was anymore. It was dark out and the snow was starting to fall really heavily. I squinted and tried to see through all the snow, but I was losing sight of everything, even the street lights. I ran down the street, in the direction I thought was the right way. I could see lights in a big house with music nearly blasting out of the windows. It was Bucks and at least there would be someone I knew there. I guess I didn't notice how slippery the road was because as I ran across it I slipped and fell on my ankle. I sat in the middle of the street holding my ankle and trying to ignore the pain. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the street light nearby went out and a car was coming down the street. I saw the headlights coming towards me, but I'm pretty sure they didn't see me...

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><p>AN: Ooh soo...okay I hope you guys didn't hate this chapter? I don't really know about it...but I did leave you with a cliffie! So share some lovee with a review?


	9. She's Happy, He's Love Struck

A/N: mmm soo time to see what's gonna happen to Valerie! And then Valerie and Pony ;) And another surprise POV from one of your fav characters!

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><p>I shut my eyes tight and braced myself for the car that was going to hit me. I waited a while and when I heard someone chuckling I opened my eyes.<p>

"What the hell are you doin', kid?" Dally's rough voice came from the person standing above me.

"Dammit, Dal! You scared the shit outta me!" I yelled.

"Don't yell at me! You're lucky I saw your damn ass sittin' here in the middle of the road!"

"Well I slipped and I really hurt my ankle."

"Fine. Come on," he said as he bent down to grab my waist and picked me up. He sat me down in the passenger seat and I was so thankful that it had been Dally and not some psycho.

"So why are you headin' toward Bucks'? Pony's house is the other way," he smirked, glancing at me as he drove.

"I wasn't headin' towards Pony's house, moron, I was lost so I just decided to head to Bucks'."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were goin' to that kid's house though. The way you two musta been goin' at it before me an' your brother got there," he laughed.

"Dal!" I shouted, "Don't say it like that! It was one...okay two kisses. That's it."

"So you two were kissin'."

"Yes," I groaned.

"You don't sound so happy about that," he noted.

"Well I'm not upset, I just don't know what to do. I've hated the guy forever and we just became friends not that long ago and now... Dallas!"

"What?" he asked, oblivious to the fact that the light was red and that I was talking.

"Nevermind," I sighed.

"Look, you just need to go see the kid and tell him how you feel or whatever," he advised.

"It's not that ea-"

"Shut the fuck up and listen to me. Damn, you ain't even legal yet and you're already gettin' on my nerves." Legal? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Fine, I'll tell the damn guy that I...How I feel about him."

"Good. Now get outta my car," he ordered.

"I can't, Dal. I can't even walk on my own," I told him.

"Well I ain't gonna babysit ya. I'll take you to Superman's." Oh trust me, I protested all I could to that because I wasn't ready to see Ponyboy yet, but Dally didn't care. I should have known that he wouldn't want to stay with me, and Darry was going to have to take a look at my ankle anyways.

"Hey, Superman!" Dally called once we got up the porch steps and inside.

"Dallas? Thought you were at Bucks'?" Darry replied.

"I was, but I had to drive to the store and swipe some more beer for Buck when I almost hit Valerie here."

"What?" I heard Ponyboy shout from down the hallway. I had to stifle a giggle at how much of a kid he could be sometimes.

"I'm fine," I assured him, even though he hadn't walked into the room yet.

"Oh, good," he said, making his entrance into the living room. We met eyes and my grip on Dally's arm grew tighter.

"Jesus, what's with the death grip?" Dally snapped.

"Oh, uh, sorry," I quickly apologized.

"Well my job is done. Someone help her stand up and shit. I'm leavin'," he announced. We all said goodbye, including Soda who was in the kitchen. Dally ruffled my hair, and I nearly fell trying to punch him in the arm. Of course, Ponyboy caught me before I actually did fall.

"Thanks," I said shakily.

"No problem," he smiled.

After that Darry took a look at my ankle and it hurt like hell. It was a little swollen and he said I'd have to try and stay off of it for a week or two or at least have someone to help me get around. Of course I only wanted Ponyboy to help me, but Soda said anytime I needed help he'd be there.

"How ya doin'?" Ponyboy asked as he sat with me on the couch. Darry had gone off to bed and Soda was still in the kitchen doing who knows what.

"I've had better days," I let out a tired laugh.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" he asked.

"Sure," I answered.

He looked towards the kitchen before he moved closer to me and asked, "Was the kiss good?"

I sat for a minute and contemplated this question. Oh yeah, it was good. It was perfect. It was great and sweet and wonderful, but I wasn't about to go crazy and let him know that.

"It was good," I yawned with a shrug.

"Just good?" he pushed on.

"Okay so it was a little better than good."

He face lit up at this and it was obvious he was trying to hide his happiness, but then I remembered what he'd told me right before we kissed.

"Did you really mean what you said?" I questioned.

"What I said when?"

"Ya know, before...the kiss."

"Oh...well, I, uh, yeah I did. I still do mean it," he replied, his cheeks turning a light pink.

"That definitely changes some things," I said, laughing a little. I was sitting with my back against the couch and my right leg stretched out so Darry could put the ice on my ankle that was sitting on the table. Ponyboy was sitting on my left and he picked my hand up and ran his thumb over it, gently.

"Yeah it does, huh?" he responded with a laugh of his own.

I could feel him looking at me as I stared at my foot, just so I wouldn't get all stupid in front of him. It amazed me how quickly I could go from hating him to sort of being friends with him to being good friends to really liking him. It was all kind of crazy if you ask me.

"Valerie," Pony called.

"Yeah?" I looked up to see the same goofy grin on his face that I'd seen too many times. But it all made sense now; he wore that stupid, goofy grin because he liked me.

"Do you like me or not?" Wow way to get straight to the point. He must be hanging out with Dally more.

"Yeah, I, um, I guess I do," I answered.

"Just kiss already!" Soda shouted from the kitchen.

"Soda!" Ponyboy quickly yelled.

"Sorry, but y'all are takin' way too long to kiss," he chuckled, sticking his head out of the doorway.

"For your information we've already kissed," I bragged. Although I didn't realize until I saw the look on Soda's face that telling him that was a bad decision.

"You did now? And when did this happen?" he leaned on the door frame and raised one eyebrow, a trick he picked up from my brother, no doubt.

"Well earlier tonight actually," I said. My voice sounded weird to my ears though. It sounded like I was nervous or something, but then I realized that I was nervous.

"Ain't that a shocker," Soda said pointedly at Ponyboy.

"Shut it, Soda," Ponyboy warned.

"Why? I'm just sayin', you liked her for all these years and you finally get the courage to kiss her. I'm proud of my baby brother."

I tried not to laugh, even though I thought it was pretty sweet how Soda was "proud" of his brother. I also noticed that Ponyboy was trying not to laugh. I guess that's just the Soda effect at work.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave you two alone," he laughed, "I'm goin' to bed."

After Soda left, things got a little weird. I mean, we were just sitting there in silence, not knowing what to say. Our feelings had been admitted, lips had touched, yet we were still sitting in an awkward silence.

"What...do we do now?" I asked.

"I thought maybe we could...um, ya know, like...Well I just thought if we both...ya know," he stuttered.

"Let's go to the movies, Pony." I had to do something for the poor boy. He was stuttering like crazy and that's when I knew he was trying to ask me out.

"Okay, but not until you're better."

"Oh yeah...We should both get some sleep," I told him, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"Night," he smiled, and kissed me on the cheek. He stood up and was about to turn around, but I tugged on the sleeve of his shirt and he looked down at me.

"Night," I replied, pulling him down and kissing him on the lips quickly. He flashed me a smile, one that was quite goofy, before turning and walking back to Soda and his room.

* * *

><p><span>Ponyboy's POV<span>

Yes! She's finally mine. After all these years of trying to hide my feelings for her, I get to tell her how I feel and even kiss her. What's even more great is that I got a date with her! With these thoughts running through my head I'm sure I was smiling like an idiot as I walked into my room. Soda proved me right as he grinned at me.

"What's got you all smilin'?" he questioned.

"Nothin'," I answered.

"That ain't a "nothin'" smile. What happened with Valerie after I left?"

"I sort of asked her out."

"Sort of?" he inquired.

"She helped me with that one 'cause I got kinda nervous," I confessed, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.

"So you really put the moves on her?" he winked.

"Sure did."

"I'm proud. Really, I am," he said, "Got any questions?"

I thought long and hard about that and finally asked, "What am I supposed to do on the date?"

"Where ya goin'?"

"The movies."

"Okay then, you got a few options. You can choose option number one, which is what I usually go with," he told me.

I waited a minute for him to continue and he got the point that I was waiting for him to say what it was.

"Option one is making out through the whole movie. It's a nice option, I'll tell ya that."

"What's another option?" I asked, ignoring his first one. There was no way that I'd just make out with Valerie the whole date.

"Okay, option two is you could watch the movie. That's it, just sit there and watch. Oh and then there's option three; a mix of both. You can watch the movie a little, then kiss a little, then watch the movie some more."

"I think I might try option three," I thought aloud.

"Don't forget to be nice and charming, like me," he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I yawned.

Back To Valerie's POV

I hadn't been on a real date since Curly broke up with me and now I was freaking out. There's no reason to be freaking out though, it's just a date...just a date with Ponyboy. I sort of wished Angela was still mad at me; that way she wouldn't be playing dress up with me. She told me that she was going to pick out my clothes, do my hair, and do my make-up. But it was strange that she wasn't mad at me anymore. I had just gone over to apologize, as much as I hated it, and she wanted to be friends again.

_Flashback_

_I knocked on the Shepard's door and waited a good ten minutes before Angela opened the door._

_"Valerie?" she questioned, curiously._

_"Hi, Angela. Look, I just wanted to come over and ask if you could like forgive me or whatever," I told her._

_"Of course, Val! I'm sorry I acted like such a bitch. I overreacted about the whole thing and just assumed that you had feelings for Ponyboy."_

_"Oh about that..." I looked down at the ground._

_"What?" she inquired._

_"I'm going on a date with him this friday night," I said quickly._

_"A...date?" she asked, with one of those plastic smiles on her face._

_"Yeah. I'm sorry, Ang, I really am. I know how much you like him and-"_

_"Correction; liked. I saw him other day with Curly and they were acting stupid so I decided that he's not that special anymore."_

_"Oh...then you're not mad?" _

_"Nope. But, I am so helping you get ready for this date!" she squealed."_

That was a week and a half ago, now my ankle was almost healed, thank god and I was in my room with Angela and she was picking out my outfit.

"What about this one?" she asked. She was holding up a black mini skirt, fish net stockings, and a tight red tank top. It was freezing outside...Did I mention that Angela is an idiot?

"I don't think so," I answered.

"Fine. Ooh! What about this?" She held out a fitted, royal purple halter top and a white mini skirt. I figured that was better than the other outfit so I agreed.

"I like it," I smiled.

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><p>AN: Ahhh I feel so much better now that I got those two...sorta together! And I bet you all thought she was gonna get run over by a car? No no, not in this story! The next chapter will include the date so the faster you review, the faster I update!


	10. Young Love

A/N: Yay! I broke 100 reviews! I'm soo happy =D Well here's the date! And much more!

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><p>The doorbell rang and I froze.<p>

"Valerie, get your ass down there and answer the door," Angela laughed.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"You look great. He's gonna be droolin' all over ya, yada yada yada. Now go!"

Despite her compliment, I looked in the mirror to make sure I looked alright. I had on the purple halter top and white mini skirt that Angela had picked out for me along with my purple flats. I decided to wear my flats because I really didn't feel like wearing heels. Angela had magically gotten my hair to curl into thick, loose curls and I absolutely loved her for that.

I ran down the stairs and saw that Two-Bit had beaten me to the door...Oh great. He was leaning up against the doorway, while Ponyboy stood on the porch with his hands in his pockets. I listened in on the conversation they were having.

"...And I swear to God, if you touch her and try to pull shit with her then you're dead. Got it?" Two-Bit threatened.

"Um, yeah, man don't worry. I ain't plannin' on doin' anything like that; you know how I am," Ponyboy responded. I could hear the nervousness building up in his voice.

"Yeah that's what I used to say when I was your age," Two-Bit half laughed, half glared.

"Look, I like Valerie a lot, okay? I wouldn't do anything she doesn't wanna do and I'd never hurt her," Ponyboy said.

"You better not or I'll-"

"Two-Bit! Enough!" I yelled, coming all the way down the stairs.

"I'm just warning him about what's gonna happen if he's gets grabby," he stated.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked him as kindly as I could. He shrugged and followed me into the kitchen where I proceeded to smack him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" he whined.

"That was for nearly scarin' Pony away! You need to chill out with the big brother shit. You know Pony and he'd never do anything like that. He's a sweet guy and I just wanna go on my god damn date with him without having it screwed up by you!" I scolded him in a hushed whisper.

"Fine, I'll lay off, but you let me know if he does anything."

I ignored him and walked past him into the living room where Pony was now standing. I tried to keep the grin off my face, but it just wasn't going to happen. I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," I said.

"Don't worry about it. I could smell all the beer comin' off his breath," he chuckled.

"I should have known he was drunk. Idiot," I nervously laughed. I was way on edge with him, but he was almost falling off the edge, if you know what I mean.

"I hope you don't mind that we're walkin' to the drive-in. I thought it was a nice night, but if you don't wanna walk then we-"

"No, no, it's fine. I like to walk," I replied. God, I'm such a goof...

We walked all the way to the movies without saying a word. It wasn't turning out to be like I'd imagined it to be. I thought things would flow easily, like we would just start talking and the date would be great. But, boy, was I wrong.

"S-so um, uh, what...uh, I, um," Ponyboy stuttered as I sat there with him in the drive-in. Of course, we didn't have a car so it was kind of like the walk-in for us.

"Ponyboy, relax," I told him.

"Right relax," he told himself.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't. You're sittin' here all dolled up and you look great. I'm losin' my mind lookin' at ya and you make me kinda nervous," he said in one breath and very quickly.

"Thanks, but you don't have be so nervous," I said. Then something I hadn't thought about dawned on me, "Pony, is this your first date?"

"Oh hey look, the movie's about to start," he noted, looking at the screen that was still playin a cartoon.

I sighed and turned to look at the screen as I crossed my right leg over my left. I could see him glance at me out of the corner of my eye and I knew he was too nervous to do anything. I waited for the movie to come on and about ten minutes into it I turned to him and asked,

"Pony, I am so thirsty, would you mind getting me a coke?"

"Oh, 'course not. I'll be right back," he replied. He got out of his seat, and left me there.

When he came back I took the drink he handed to me and took a long sip. I was seriously dying of thirst, but that's not the only reason I sent him to get drinks. He really needed to let loose if this thing was gonna work and I figured if he had some time to relax he would.

"Thanks," I said.

"Uh huh." I gave him a smile and the lid to his soda popped right off, spraying soda everywhere. I guess he'd been gripping it too tightly. It got all over my legs, luckily not my skirt and I almost yelled at him. But when I saw the look on his face I decided to not scream at him.

"I-I I'm s-so sorry, Valerie," he stuttered.

"Don't worry about it, seriously, it's okay. Accidents happen," I said.

"Yeah, but...I'm real sorry." He seemed to loosen up a little when I told him that it was okay and gave me a few napkins.

I finally got the soda wiped off of my legs, and it was hard not to laugh when I watched Pony out of the corner of my eye watching me. After that ordeal we sat and watched the movie and I was wondering if he was ever to even put his arm around me. I sat there and waited...and waited, but he never did anything, but drink his drink and eat some popcorn. Some date, huh?

When the movie was over I was ready to leave. I had really wanted to just be with Ponyboy, but that had probably been the worst date I'd ever gone on...no scratch that. The worst date I've ever been on had to be the first date I had with Curly, when he tried to feel me up the whole time.

"So.." I said. We were sitting on the fence outside of the movie theater because I wanted to give him one more chance before I made my decision about him.

"So, um, the movie was good," I noted.

"Yeah...look I'm sorry, Valerie. I know you didn't have a good time and I wish-"

I cut him off with a kiss. I guess I thought it was the only thing that could save the date, which wasn't completely wrong, but not completely right. After I pulled away I let out a giggle, and he smiled. I thought maybe everything had turned around at the last minute, but all that did was make things worse. After Pony smiled, he started to lose his balance and ended up slamming down on the ground on his back.

"Oh my god," I laughed. He groaned and I quickly put my hand over my mouth so he wouldn't hear me laugh.

"Are you okay?" I asked, still sitting on the fence.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he grumbled, getting up and putting his hand on his probably sore back.

"Good, 'cause that was really funny." I bit my bottom lip and waited for his response.

"Glad you think so," he half-smiled.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that the best thing to do is make the girl laugh?" I questioned.

"Well with the way I've been tonight, you should be in in tears from laughing so hard."

"Oh shut up," I smirked, "and help me down."

"Alright," he sighed. He held out his hand for me to take, since the fence was fairly high, and I grabbed it as I jumped down. I rolled my ankle a little because it still hurt a little from slipping.

I rubbed my arms and cursed myself for not bringing any kind of jacket. We started walking and Pony must have noticed that I was cold because he took off his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

About halfway there, I felt his fingers graze mine and I realized he was trying to hold my hand. I waited for him to grab my hand and when he did I looked down to our hands.

"Sorry," he said quickly, taking his hand away from mine.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," I told him with a bit of a smile. I grabbed his hand again, locking our fingers together.

Once we got to my porch he turned to look at me and dropped my hand. I gave him a confused look and he sighed and looked away.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"I know you didn't have a good time, no matter what you do or say. I know I blew it so if you don't wanna go out again, I get it," he answered.

"I'll admit things were a little rough in the beginning, but it wasn't all bad," I admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think this could..." I thought carefully about the words I was about to say, "definitely go somewhere."

"You have no idea how good that makes me feel."

I had to laugh at that, "You wanna know what my favorite part was?"

"What?" he asked, cautiously.

"This," I said, before standing on my tippy toes to kiss him. He planted his hands on my hips and I rested my hands on his chest as we kissed.

Someone cleared their throat and we quickly broke apart. I should have known Two-Bit would be waiting for me to get home.

"I should get home," Ponyboy stated, looking at Two-Bit.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow," I responded. I was going to kiss him one more time, but the stare down I was getting from Two-Bit made me re-think my decision. Ponyboy walked down the path and out of my front gate and I stormed into the house.

"What the hell, Two-Bit!" I yelled.

"What?" he asked, trying to be innocent.

"Did you have to send him home?"

"I didn't send anyone home, but I probably should have. Who does he think he is with his hands all over you?" he questioned angrily.

"He didn't have his hands all over me! He didn't even put his arm around me at the movies! You need to chill the hell out!" I shouted at him.

"I just don't wanna see my baby sister out on the porch makin' out with a kid that I look at like a brother."

"I know...It's weird. Trust me I already know how weird it is, but I really like him and I'd appreciate it if you didn't fuck everything up for me!"

"Watch the language," he ordered, "And just try not to do that stuff in front of me."

"I'm not makin' any promises," I grinned. He faked a gagging motion and I rolled my eyes, walking up the stairs to my room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, asshole!" I screamed at Two-Bit, "You didn't wake me up! You idiot!"<p>

"Huh? Just stay home," he mumbled, groggily.

I clentched my teeth and ran downstairs to get a beer to calm me down, but just as I took a sip the doorbell rang. I was confused as to who it could be, considering how early in the morning it was.

"Ponyboy!" I gasped. He stood there looking oddly more handsome than usual.

"Hi," he grinned, looking me up and down. I looked down at myself and saw that I still had a pair of incredibly short, blue plaid pajama shorts on and a white, half-shirt that I made myself.

"Oh," I laughed a bit nervously, "I kinda just woke up."

"I figured that...That's why I stopped by to ask if you...um wanted to hang out today?"

"Ponyboy Curtis, are you skipping school?" I widened my eyes to show my surprise.

"I'm only doin' it for you."

I couldn't help but "aw" at his words. He really was as sweet as they come.

"Well let me shower and get changed and we'll go. You can go ahead and take a seat on the couch or whatever," I told him.

He walked in past me and sat down on the couch. I quickly walked to the kitchen to set my beer down and I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. Maybe I should wear those pajamas around him more often.

I left him to go upstairs and I took my time getting a shower. I didn't want him to get the idea that I was rushing for him, even though I wanted to just get a quick shower, throw whatever clothes I found first, and go with Pony. While I was in the shower, I heard a few thumps around the house and the first thing that came to mind was that Two-Bit had gotten up and when he saw Ponyboy sitting on the couch he got mad. I turned off the water and hurriedly wrapped my towel around me.

"What is goin' on?" I asked, running into the living room.

"Nothin..." Ponyboy trailed off -I assume because I was only in my towel- and his cheeks grew pink.

"Damn, Valerie, would you go put some clothes on?" Two-Bit groaned like he was annoyed with me.

"The only reason I rushed down here is 'cause I heard something that sounded like two idiots doin' somethin' stupid," I snapped.

"Excuse me? That's one idiot and one devilishly handsome man to you," he laughed.

"Don't be so down on yourself, Two-Bit," Ponyboy started, patting his shoulder, "Maybe some day you'll be as handsome as me."

"If you two weren't being stupid, what was all the noise I heard?" I questioned, ignoring their side-conversation.

"I dunno. Maybe you've gone crazy," Two-Bit shrugged as he said this.

I rolled my eyes and walked back up the stairs, making sure to swing my hips a little extra; mainly for Ponyboy, but also to annoy Two-Bit.

"Hey, stop watchin' her," I heard Two-Bit say to Pony. I had to smile a little at that.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I'm ready," I stated, hopping down the stairs, two at a time.<p>

"Alright," Pony responded. I noticed Two-Bit was no longer there, but I could hear faint snoring coming from upstairs, so I figured he had gone back to sleep and I thanked God that he wasn't able to make any remarks before we left.

"You can hold my hand, ya know," I said. We'd been walking for a while, with no particular destination and we had both been keeping a safe distance from each other. It wasn't awkward or anything, I just think neither of us knew just what to do.

"Oh, I didn't know I could actually," he laughed a little.

"After last night? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll let you hold my hand."

"Okay, then." He took my hand in his and we locked fingers, as we had done the night before when he walked me home.

"You're not nervous anymore," I noted.

"You'd be surprised if you knew how nervous I am right now," he replied.

"I don't get why."

He shook his head and smiled like it was obvious why he felt nervous.

"'Cause I'm not used to bein' with a girl and you're probably used to bein' with some tough guy who knows what he's doin'."

"You're plenty tough, Ponyboy. And as for being used to being with a guy, I've only had two boyfriends," I admitted.

"Not including me?" he asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"And another thing," I added once he didn't say anything, "I...kinda think it's sweet how you don't know what you're doin'."

"Why?"

"'Cause it's like you're all new to this stuff and I like seeing you like this. But I will admit, you're a good kisser."

"I don't know how that happened. That night when you got drunk and kissed me was my first kiss," he confessed, looking down to the ground.

"Guess you're just lucky then."

* * *

><p>"Pony!" I squealed, as I pumped my legs harder to stay in front of him.<p>

"You can run all ya want! I'll catch up to you!" he shouted from behind me. His voice sounded close, too close for my liking.

Suddenly, his arms wrapped around my waist as we both felt to the grass, laughing and out of breath. I laid on my back with him nearly on top of me and I started laughing uncontrollably. He looked like he was trying not to laugh, but finally gave in. I don't know why I started laughing, but I'm glad I did. It was rare to catch me in such a mood, but I don't think Ponyboy caught me in it, I think he caused it.

Once our laughter died down, he helped me up and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I think I caught him by surprise, but he eventually wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tightly against him. I sighed in his arms, taking in his scent; cigarettes and something else...vanilla? Oh, that would be my perfume. As I pulled away I kissed his cheek and wrinkled my nose at the feeling I was getting. It wasn't like what I felt with Curly or even my first boyfriend before him...It was something entirely different.

"Are you okay?" he asked, keeping his arms around me and giving me a concerned look.

"Sure, why?" I replied, causually.

"I don't know. You seem like something's bothering you."

"I'm fine. As long as I'm with you...I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>AN: Hehehe...I dunno about you, but that chapter (mainly the last part of it) made me feel all fuzzy inside...but I'm a bit of a romance freak so anything I write like that is because it makes me feel all...well fuzzy inside. But ANYWAYS, pleassee let me know how you felt about this chapter! How did you like the date? What do you think of over-protective big bro, Two-Bit? What about the ending of the chappie, how Valerie is kinda different with Ponyboy?


	11. Serious

A/N: So I take it you guys liked the last chapter? :) hehe, you guys make my day everytime I see a new review! Hopefully I don't disappoint with this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does! I only own Valerie!

* * *

><p>"Two banana splits, please," I told the man at the ice cream parlor.<p>

"Sure thing, darlin'," he replied.

I took a seat at the counter and waited for Ponyboy to get done talking to Curly outside. I had no clue what they were talking about, but they didn't seem to be angry with each other anymore. I turned back around when he walked back in so he wouldn't see that I had been watching him. He sat next to me and gave me a smile.

"So what was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said.

"Well obviously it was about something."

"It was about nothing, Val."

It made me mad that he wouldn't tell me what they were talking about, but I guess it was just some guy stuff.

"Here ya go," the man who worked there said as he brought us the ice cream.

Just as I a took a bite, someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see Sylvia standing there, looking slutty as usual.

"Sylvia!" I smiled.

"Hey," she laughed, "How ya doin', kid? Haven't seen you in a while."

"I'm great. School sucks, but other than that I'm good."

"You fifteen now or what?"

"Yep," I beamed.

Sylvia and I have always been close, even though we're four years apart. I look at her like a role model and Two-Bit often tells me that she's not one to look up to. But I can't help it, I just think she's so cool. And I think her and Dally are good for each other, even if they do break up every other week.

"So you here by yourself?"

"Oh, no, I'm here with Ponyboy," I told her, gesturing to him.

"Ohhh you're that Curtis kid, right?" she questioned.

"Uh huh," he answered.

"Sweetie come here," she said to me. I told Ponyboy that I'd be right back and went to the bathroom with Sylvia.

"What's up?" I asked.

"What's up? Why are you with that boy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, he's not your type."

"I know...but he's so sweet, Sylvia," I informed her.

"So he's your boyfriend?"

"Well...no...I mean kind of...not exactly," I tried to explain it to her, "You know, I'm not really sure. We've only been on one date, but I feel like that doesn't even matter."

"Well then you ain't gotta worry about him. You went on one date and that's it...unless this is a date, but still two dates ain't nothin' to get worked up about. He's just a guy and you can still have fun."

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course! Look at me and Dal, we get with different people every other night and we're still in love." I wanted to object against that because Dally didn't love anyone, but why ruin it for her?

"You know what? You're totally right! We're not official or anything, so who says I can't flirt a little?"

"Now you're gettin' it," she smiled. But I didn't really get it; I only said those things to make Sylvia happy and think that I was tough.

I walked back out of the bathroom with Sylvia and I got a pang of something I couldn't identify when I saw Ponyboy talking to some girl. She had light brown hair and was lightly touching his arm...Whore...

"Oh my god, Valerie...see what I mean. He obviously doesn't care about you so why should you care about him?" Sylvia spoke up, watching the same thing I was.

"Yeah..." I sighed. I walked over and stood in front of the two.

"'Scuse me," I said to the girl.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"If you could move, that'd be great."

"Who the hell is this?" she asked Ponyboy.

"She's...uh...she's my..."

"Your what?...Oh my god, is she your girlfriend?" the girl gasped.

"Well..-"

"Wow. I cannot believe you would ask me out while you have a girlfriend!" she pulled back her hand and slapped him across the face, the sound coming off of his cheek.

I looked at Pony to question if what she said was true, but he was busy calling after her,

"I didn't ask you out!" He sighed and sat back in his seat, but I still stood there in front of him, just staring. I looked over at Sylvia and she was making the "gotta go" signal that we had created. She tapped her finger on her wrist as if she were wearing a watch and stuck her arms out to the side of as if asking "Huh?"

"I'm leaving," I told Ponyboy, grabbing my purse and coat and walking towards the doors.

"Wait, Valerie!" he called.

"No, I thought...I thought you cared about me, but it's obvious that you don't if you're just gonna go around asking other girls out!" I yelled.

"I do care about you. I don't even know who she was and I didn't ask her out. I don't know why she said that."

"Oh yeah, that's a great excuse. I thought you were at least smarter than that," I snapped.

"Valerie, stop!" he shouted.

I didn't listen to him though, I just kept walking until someone pulled me around. I stood almost face to face with Ponyboy and he had a weird look on his face...like he didn't want me to go.

"Let me go," I ordered.

"No, I can't."

"Just let me go and get back to whoever that stupid girl was."

"That's exactly who she was, some stupid girl that I don't even know."

"Then why'd you ask her out?" I asked.

"I didn't...Really I mean it. I don't know why she said that, but I wouldn't ask her out when I already have you."

"Who said you have me?" I smirked.

"I did," he replied, pulling something out of his pocket, "Here. Valerie will you be my girl?"

"Yes, I'll be your girl," I smiled and took the ring he was offering me and slipped it onto my finger. All the thoughts I had before then vanished and new wonderful feelings took their place.

"Good, now if some other girl asks me who you are I can say...hmm well now that's my girl," he laughed.

"Gosh, let's hope there aren't too many girls asking who I am."

* * *

><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

"So what happened?" Angela asked as the girl walked towards her.

"Well I asked him about her and he didn't say anything so I slapped him and walked away. I think she got pretty pissed at him though," the girl said triumphantly.

Angela looked to the side of her to see Ponyboy and Valerie smiling at each other, while Pony held one arm around her waist. She felt a wave of jealousy come over her and knew it would take more than a misunderstanding to separate them. But what Angela didn't get was how they could be so inseperable when they'd only gone on one date.

"Okay...I guess that didn't work. We'll have to think of something else."

"We? You said this was a one time thing!" the girl exclaimed.

"Fine, get outta here."

"Pay me first," the girl demanded.

"Bitch," Angela muttered, handing the girl five dollars.

* * *

><p><span>(Two Weeks Later) Back to Valerie's POV<span>

"What's that?" Two-Bit asked me when I walked into the kitchen to grab a beer later that night. He thought I'd been upstairs doing whatever it is he thinks I do, but really I was talking to Ponyboy up there. He'd flip if he knew he was up there with me.

"Oh..." I said, looking down at my hand where Pony's ring was, "It's Pony's ring."

"Since when are you his girl?"

"Since like a couple of weeks ago," I answered, trying to back up.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"Nope, but I gotta go! Big test and stuff like that to study for!" I ran back upstairs and quickly closed my door.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," Pony replied, looking around my room some more.

I stood next to him to look at the pictures of my dad before he ran off. The pictures made us look like such a happy family, when that obviously wasn't the case. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but I wiped them away before they could fall. Ponyboy wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek because I think he noticed that I was getting upset.

"I'm okay," I told him.

"I know you are, but I just wanted to hug you."

I turned around to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I stood on my tippy toes a little to meet his lips and smiled when I did. We stood together, kissing, for about a minute before we heard someone walking up the stairs.

"Hey, Val?" Two-Bit called.

"Oh shit...um," I thought frantically, "The bed! Get under it."

He did as I told him and I quickly walked over to the bed and sat on it, acting as if I'd been reading a magazine instead of making out with Pony.

"Can I talk to you?" Two-Bit questioned, opening my door.

"Um, sure," I answered.

"Cool," he closed my door and walked over to sit on my bed with me.

"What did you wanna talk about?" I asked.

"Look...I know you and Ponyboy are getting real close and all...and I just wanna make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"Oh my god, Two-Bit..get out," I laughed.

"No, I'm bein' serious. You really like him right?"

"Yes," I groaned. I hoped he didn't ask anything else too embarrassing because anything I said would be heard by Pony.

"Like you're pretty serious?"

"We've only been dating for like two weeks...but yeah, we're pretty serious I guess."

"You guys haven't...ya know."

"No!" I yelled, standing up, "One, I'm still a virgin and two, you know Pony's not like that."

"Yeah, but...I just worry about ya," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm fine, I promise. Besides you know if he tried anything like that with me, I'd kick his ass."

"That's my girl," he chuckled.

"Yeah, now could you please get out?"

"Sure, sure. You make sure to tell him to watch out for me, ya hear?"

"Uh huh, you got it."

Two-Bit walked out and shut my door, leaving me to let out a sigh of relief as I sat back on the bed. Ponyboy slid out from underneath and stood in front of me with a smile on his face.

"What?" I inquired.

"Nothin'," he said, pulling me up off the bed.

"Tell me."

"Didn't know you thought we were serious is all."

"Are we not?" I asked, resting my hands on his chest.

"Well I wasn't sure, but I guess if you say we are then we are."

"You don't think we are," I sighed.

"Of course I do," he chuckled, running his thumb over my cheek and keeping his hand on my left cheek, "I just didn't wanna say anything and look stupid."

"You always look stupid." He raised his eyebrows and I let out a small laugh, "Well when you're around me you are."

"That's just what you do to me."

I rolled my eyes and got a surprise as he kissed me. Usually we didn't kiss that much in one day, but who knows? Maybe that day was special or something. I really got a surprise when he just barely moved his hands under my shirt. He kept them right at the bottom, but still, it was different. I smiled into the kiss and played with his hair. He stopped kissing my lips to kiss my neck. I giggled and he looked at me, almost like he was debating something in his head. I guess he decided whatever he was thinking about and kissed me again.

* * *

><p>AN: Soooo I hope you guys understood what happened at the ice cream shop with the girl? If you didn't just PM me :) and what do you think about valerie looking up to Sylvia? and Valerie is Pony's *official* girlfriend now, so are you guys cool with that? (from the reviews it seems like you won't mind, but ya never know!) Sorry it's short! But please review and tell me anything you'd like to see happen or what your thoughts are on this chapter :)


	12. Poems and Awkward Talks

A/N: Thanks sooo much for the reviews! You guys are what keeps me writing, if you didn't R&R I'd just die and stop writing...so thanks :) haha well hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters of The Outsiders. But I do own Valerie!

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><p>I layed my head on Ponyboy's shoulder and let out an exaggerated sigh. He didn't budge. I sighed again, hoping he'd look over at me. He turned the page of the book he was reading and kept on ignoring me. Well I don't think he was actually ignoring me because he's always getting caught in his own little world. I sat back on the couch and tried to think of another way to get his attention without yelling at him because I found out that that does not sit well with him.<p>

I smirked to myself as an idea popped into my head. I simply took my left hand and placed it on his leg, moving it a bit higher and lightly squeazing it. He almost immediately looked up and his book slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. I wasn't usually that suggestive, but I knew it would get his attention and I was right. I took this opportunity and moved to sit sideways on his lap.

"Good, you're done reading," I said.

"I wasn't, but I guess I am now," he chuckled, putting one arm around my waist. The redness started to leave his face and I hadn't even noticed him blushing before.

"Well I'm so bored and we aren't doing anything."

"I was reading," he frowned.

"That's boring," I pointed out.

"To you," he countered.

"Exactly! So let's do something fun."

"Your kinda fun or my kinda fun?" he asked.

See, that was the problem. His definition of fun was going to see a movie...and actually watching it. My definition of fun was, well being compared to that, going to see a movie and not remembering anything about it, if you know what I mean.

"Any kind of fun. I'm so bored," I complained more.

"Fine. You want some ice cream?"

"Yeah," I smiled, my eyes probably lighting up at the idea of ice cream.

"Are you serious? It's about ten degrees outside."

"You already said something! Now I want ice cream," I whined.

"Fine." He got off the couch, watching me fall on my butt.

"Oww," I cried.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't resist," he said, as a small smile pulled at his lips.

"That wasn't funny, you know."

"It was kind of funny."

He put out his hand and helped me up all while keeping eye contact with me. He kept my hand in his and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. I smiled at the touch of his lips against my skin and let out a sigh.

"I'll go get the ice cream," he grinned. I nodded and after he grabbed a coat he left.

I sat down on the couch and realized that having Ponyboy gone was even more boring than watching him read. Although it wasn't always boring when he read, because sometimes he let me lay my head on his shoulder and read with him. Soda had informed me that I was the only one who was allowed to read over Pony's shoulder.

Soon curiosity got the better of me and I wandered off down the hall and opened the door to Ponyboy and Soda's room. I walked over a few dirty shirts and socks and started looking at the huge stack of books sitting on Pony's desk. I picked up the one on top and looked out it, yawned, and put it down on the desk. I must have set it down harder than I thought because it fell right off the desk. I bent down to pick it up and noticed that the drawer on the desk was slightly open. I looked back down the hallway and listened to make sure no one else had come through the house. When I was sure that I was alone I opened the drawer, cringing when it squeaked ever so lightly. After getting it open I looked through some of the papers that he had in there.

Science paper? No. History mid-terms? No. Theme Paper? Not quite interesting enough. Then I came across a spiral notebook with a plain, black cover. I opened it up and the first thing that I saw was a poem. I knew it wasn't his because I remembered him talking to me about that very poem. Something about being gold. I flipped through a few more pages until I came to one titled: _You_. I glanced down to see my name in the last line and decided to read the whole thing.

I read it over a couple of times to be sure that I was reading it right. Ponyboy had to be the sweetest guy I'd ever met and this just made him seem ten times sweeter. The boy was like no other. I was curious as to why he'd never let me see any of this stuff, when we'd been together for almost three months. I could feel tears in my eyes and I quickly shook my head, trying to get them to go away. I wasn't upset, they were pure tears of joy, maybe even love. No, not love, definitely not love. Not at fifteen! That's way too young to feel like that about a boy, right?

"What are you doin'?" Ponyboy asked from behind me.

I gasped and turned around so fast, the notebook dropped to the floor. I watched as Ponyboy's eyes flew to the notebook and his whole facial expression changed.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

"I, was um, I was just..." I searched my head for an explanation, while still trying to wipe the tears away, "I got kinda bored while you were gone."

"So you went through my stuff?"

"Well no...I mean this drawer was open and then it kinda just slid open some more...then your notebook just kinda...fell out and I picked it up, but it was kinda accidentally open..and my eyes kinda just started reading it?" I tried. It was probably the lamest excuse I've used, but I didn't have anything else.

"So you kinda went through my stuff?"

"Maybe."

"Dammit, Val," he sighed.

"What? I just wanted to-"

"No! You don't get it...You just don't get it."

"What don't I get, Pony? Huh?"

"You just...you just don't get it," he repeated.

"Fine," I said, picking up the notebook and handing it to him. He looked down to see what page I was on and when he saw what what was written he looked back up at me.

"So you read this?" His voice was softer now, but he didn't sound right. He sounded..almost embarrassed.

"I did," I confessed.

"Great."

"Ponyboy, I don't know what you think I think of this, but you're probably wrong," I assured him.

"You don't think it's stupid...or dorky?" I honestly couldn't believe he was asking me this.

"Of course not," I told him, "I think it's _the_ sweetest thing ever."

"Really?"

"Yes. I can't believe you didn't want to show to me."

"Well...I was gonna show you...for our three-month anniversary," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh." I looked down at my hands because I had single-handedly ruined his anniversary gift.

"Yeah, but...don't feel bad. It was a stupid idea anyways."

My head shot up at this. "No, it wasn't!"

"Look, I'll get you a new gift."

"I don't want a new gift. I like this one," I smiled.

"But you already saw it."

"Read it to me...and I'll consider that my new gift."

"Okay, if that's what you want," he shrugged.

I waited a minute while he looked down at the paper for a few minutes then he looked back up at me.

"You're pretty and you're smart, You always pull at my heart. I can never keep my eyes off of you, And so I choose to never do," he had been reciting it by memory as he looked into my eyes, "You make me smile with every word, I love the way you're free as a bird. You are the best thing I could wish for, I could never wish for anymore. You know how I feel and I know how you are, Valerie...you are my shining star."

"Sounds even better when you say it," I informed him.

"Really?" he asked, even though it didn't seem like he was really paying attention to our conversation.

"Mmhmm."

His lips were on mine not a second after that and I heard his bedroom door shut. I figured he had kicked it closed because his arms were tightly wrapped around my middle. Then something that he hadn't dared to do, happened. He slipped his hand about half-way up the side of my shirt, very slowly, but he still did it. I continued to kiss him though, even if he had just skipped first base and got to second. Soon enough, though, his tongue slide into my mouth and I did the same with mine into his. So he hit a double, good for him.

"Pony, I- What the hell?" Darry barged in on us.

"Darry," Ponyboy said awkwardly.

"You know the rules," Darry said firmly. I knew them as well.

"Yeah, I know, Dar. No girls in the bedroom." Darry gave us a nod and left the room.

Ponyboy turned back to look at me with his face as red as a tomato and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm thinkin' maybe you should play baseball," I suggested.

"Baseball? Why would I...Oh!"

"Come on. Let's go before Darry comes back," I teased.

I took his hand and led him back to the living room and stopped abruptly when I saw the whole gang there, most of them with raised eyebrows, looking at us. Ponyboy bumped into me and I felt his hand hit my butt and surpressed my laughter because I knew he'd be blushing for that.

"What were two doin'?" Two-Bit asked, emerging from the kitchen.

"Nothing, Two-Bit," I groaned.

"Better not have been doin' anything. I'll kick your ass," he said, looking at Ponyboy.

"Would you stop threatening him!" I yelled.

"Not unless he stops touchin' you."

"Well-"

"Alright, man, I'll back off," Pony said.

"Oh yeah, say that after you stick your hand up my shirt," I blurted out, turning to face him. His eyes grew wide and he looked past me. I turned back around to see a very unhappy Two-Bit.

"You're dead, Ponyboy," he said, before setting down his beer and cracking his knuckles.

"Look, Two-Bit, nothin' else happened, I swear," Pony defended himself, walking around the table to avoid crossing paths with my brother.

"I don't care if nothin' else happened. You were feelin' up my sister."

"Soda...a little help here sure would be nice."

"Sorry, buddy, but you went and did the wrong thing. You don't ever let the older brother find out what you've been doin' with his kid sister," Soda chuckled.

"I ain't kiddin', Soda!"

"Alright, alright," he said, standing up from the couch, "Two-Bit, lay off."

"Why should I?"

"'Cause I say so," Darry interrupted, "Ponyboy, take Valerie out to the porch."

He did as he was told and quickly took my hand. We went out to the porch and Darry shut the door on us. I desperately needed a cigarette, but I was still angry with Two-Bit so I just paced back and forth on the porch steps.

"Val, calm down," Ponyboy said.

"No! He has no right to tell either of us what to do. I cannot even believe he thinks that he can say that to you."

"Valerie, look at me. He's your brother so I get that he wants to protect you and I sure as hell ain't gonna stop him. I'm gonna respect him."

I stared in disbelief at him. He was on Two-Bit's side!

"Are you seriously saying that you're on his side?" I asked.

"Not exactly, but I'm not against him."

"Fine. Be that way, see if I care," I smirked, sitting down on the couch and crossing my arms.

"You can't be mad at me," he laughed.

"Oh, yes I can. Just watch me."

He took a seat next to me and must have been watching me for a while before he reached around me and pulled me into his lap.

"It's kinda hard to be mad at you when you won't leave me alone," I groaned.

"That's the point."

I looked at him as he said this and realized that it was incredibly hard to stay mad at him for very long. I hated the way I felt about him and how he made me turn into the girl I didn't even know existed.

"Why can't I stay mad at you," I sighed, laying my head against his chest.

"I don't really know," he answered.

The door opened and Soda stepped out. He seemed to still be having a conversation with someone who was still inside the house until he looked over at us. I lifted my head and gave Soda a questioning look.

"What's up?" Ponyboy asked.

"Just tryin' ta get him to understand you two," Soda answered, meaning Two-Bit.

"Good luck with that," I muttered.

"And also to talk to you guys," Soda added.

"About what," I asked, sitting up a bit in Ponyboy's lap.

"Well," Soda started, "You guys've been goin' out for like three months and-"

"Two months and three weeks," Ponyboy and I corrected at almost the same time. I looked at him and we both smiled.

"Yeah..." Soda shifted uncomfortably and I wondered what he had even come out there for.

"What I'm...trying to say is...well you guys are close and all...and Darry sent me out here to...to talk to you guys about..."

"Jeez, Soda, spit it out already," Ponyboy teased.

"Darry's makin' me give you a sex talk," he confessed.

"What?" Ponyboy's voice cracked as he asked that, but I didn't blame him. Sex wasn't even something I was really thinking about with Ponyboy.

"Darry wanted me to-"

"Don't say it again," Pony said, slightly glancing at me.

"It has to be done, Pony." Ponyboy and I avoided each other's eyes as we nodded to Soda.

"Alright...well before I do this, how far have you guys gotten."

"Umm," I stalled, hoping Ponyboy would answer.

"I...I uh got...um," Ponyboy stuttered.

"He got to second base," I admitted.

"Kudos, man," Soda grinned at Ponyboy, "But since you guys are gettin' like that and all...I guess Darry's right about this whole sex talk. You know that we ain't gonna stop ya from doin' it, well at least I ain't, but that don't mean ya gotta be careless with it."

"Soda, we know," I whined.

"I, um, actually gotta talk to you after this," he said, making me groan about whatever separate lecture I was getting.

"But seriously, you know you gotta use protection and if anything ever...happens, you guys come to me first, okay?"

"Yeah, we get it," Pony told him. I noticed how red Pony's cheeks were and realized that mine were probably just as red.

"M'kay. Now, Pony, go on inside so I can talk to your girl," he laughed. In response Ponyboy rolled his eyes, but gave his brother a smile. I climbed out of his lap and he walked inside. After Pony left, Soda moved to sit next to me on the couch.

"Don't worry, it ain't gonna be awkward or anythin'. Just wanted to talk to you 'bout Ponyboy."

"Oh, great."

"Just for a minute."

"Fine, go ahead," I told him.

"Now I know you and Ponyboy are goin' along good and all..but truth is, he ain't ever had a girlfriend before so you gotta go easy on him."

"You don't think I already know that?" I raised my eyebrow.

Soda chuckled, "You look like your brother." I scowled at this and he only laughed more.

"Do we really need to have this conversation, though?"

"I think so... So like I was sayin' ya gotta go easy on him. I know you've been goin' out for a while, but still I happen to know for a fact he gets nervous with you."

"He does?"

"Yeah, but hey don't go tellin' him I told ya. He's got a pretty good idea about what's he supposed to be doin', but for some reason you really got a hold on him, Valerie. Never seen him like that before."

The more he talked about Ponyboy being nervous around me, the more upset I got. That's not how relationships were supposed to work...He was supposed to be used to me by now, which I thought he was. I guess he'd been lying the whole time -he's too good of a liar.

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><p>AN: Yeah...I wasn't sure how to end this chapter lol. Some quick notes: Angela has not been forgotten in this story, nor has Curly, don't worry and I know it seems like speeding it up three months was a little much, but this story will be shot over a span of a longer time so it kinda works out. But please review! Oh and what'd think about the poem? Because I do love to hear your thoughts! And give me any suggestions or requests and I'll see what I can do :)


	13. First Fights Don't End Well

A/N: Soo...thank you lots and lots and lots for the reviews! I wish there was more I could do to thank you because you guys are just wonderful!

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><p>"Are you okay?" Ponyboy asked me.<p>

"I'm fine," I answered, looking away. Truth is, that was a lie. I was still bothered by the fact he'd been pretending with me.

"Look, Val, somethin' ain't right."

"You bet your ass somethin' ain't right!" I half-whispered. Although I didn't really have to be so quiet because our teacher wasn't even paying attention to us.

"What the hell's wrong then?" I could hear his voice rising with each word.

"Don't act like you don't know."

"But I don't know."

"Yes, you do! Just admit it, you haven't been completely honest with me."

"Fine...I'll admit that I was...at Angela's house the other day."

I swear, if we hadn't been at school I would've smacked him right across the face. That wasn't even what I was talking about, but now I knew some very interesting information.

"What?" I asked sharply.

"When I said I was busy the other day it's 'cause I was studyin' with Angela."

"Jerk," I muttered under my breath. The bell rang and I quickly grabbed my books and walked out before Ponyboy could catch me.

"Val, come on!" Pony called after me. I kept walking, telling myself not to turn around and create a damn scene.

"Valerie!"

"Just shut up!" I yelled, turning around to face him. This got most of the kids' attention and they all stopped what they were doing to watch.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked, coming a bit closer.

"What's the matter with me? Try what's the matter with you! You spent the day with Angela? Studying at her house?"

"Yeah, studying! I was helping her with some chemistry homework."

"Chemistry? Give me a break, Pony. What the hell were you doing with her?" I smirked.

"I was tudoring her. I promise that's all that happened," he said.

"I know Angela and she does not study."

"She asked me to help her with school and I said yes. What was I supposed to do?" he questioned.

"I don't know..." I sighed, realizing that I may have overreacted just a smidge.

"Valerie, why would I ever do anything with another girl? Why would I give up _my_ girl?"

"I didn't think you would...but...but you're a good liar, Ponyboy," I said with all seriousness.

"Come on." He took my hand and we walked out of the front doors. It was lunch time so the parking lot was crowded with greasers. We kept walking until we reached the bleachers and sat down.

"I'm thinkin' there's more to you bein' mad than I thought there was," he noted.

"There is."

"What else did I do wrong?" he inquired. I looked at him and saw that his question proved Soda right.

"Pony, do you even want to be in this relationship?" I asked.

"What kind of question is that? 'Course I wanna be in this relationship," he laughed a little.

"I don't believe you."

"Maybe you'll believe me if I do this."

He placed his hand under my chin, gently pulling it up until I was forced to look him in the eyes. His face was about two inches away from mine and he quickly closed the gap. This wasn't like the other times we kissed, it was different...gentle, but passionate at the same time. It was a short, sweet kiss and after we parted I pushed his hand off of my waist, where it now sat, and stood up.

"You can't just kiss me and expect everything to be better again," I told him.

"Well I don't know what else to do at this point. You won't even tell me what I did."

"Because I'm not supposed to know," I said.

"Know about what?"

"Okay look, Soda said that you were...he said that you still get nervous around me."

"Oh...well I do."

"But you shouldn't! We've been dating for almost three months, Ponyboy. Three months! I thought maybe we could finally relax around each other, but obviously I was wrong," I yelled.

"No, you're not. We can relax around each other. The only time I get a little nervous is when..." he trailed off.

"When what?" I questioned.

"When we kiss."

"Why?"

"Because I...I really like you and I don't wanna screw anything up."

"You are so clueless," I chuckled.

"About?"

"Ponyboy, I really like you. You worry too much and it's for nothing. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" I assured him.

"Okay," he smiled.

Just as we were about kiss again Angela came sprinting across the football field shouting, "Pony!"

"What is it?" Ponyboy asked, standing up as well now.

"I passed my chemistry test! And it's all thanks to you," she grinned. But I knew that smile all too well. It was the smile you would see when she was trying to win a boy.

"Nah, you're pretty smart on your own."

"Either way, I don't have to repeat this year!" she giggled, hugging him. It wasn't just a quick, friendly hug though, it was a full on arms wrapped around his neck and body completely pressed against his hug.

I thought I saw her whisper something into his ear, but I figured it was nothing.

"Hey, Ang," I greeted.

"Oh, Valerie! Didn't even see ya standin' there. You're just so thin...but I suppose it isn't all your fault."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, I know about what happened a few months ago with the whole not eating thing."

"You told her?" I asked Ponyboy.

"Not on purpose. It just kinda slipped out," he answered, looking to the ground.

"I can't believe you would tell her!"

"I can't believe you wouldn't tell me," Angela butted in.

"I didn't tell anyone, but Ponyboy, who I guess can't keep a damn secret."

"It wasn't a secret! Everyone could tell that something was up!" he yelled.

"You know what? Fuck you."

I grabbed my bag off the bleachers and began walking back into school. The nerve of him! I trusted him and even told him not to tell anyone and then he goes and tells Angela? Now she's probably mad at me for not telling her, but screw her! She's trying to steal my boyfriend! No...Angela wouldn't do that me. We've been best friends for as long as I can remember and she'd never stoop so low as to steal my boyfriend.

As I approached the front doors, I decided that I didn't want to go back to school so I turned and started walking back to my house. I noticed that Ponyboy hadn't even followed me this time. He was probably confused as hell about why I was yelling at him, but it was his own fault! As I thought about more this I realized that this was our first actual fight..

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><p>When I got home, I saw that my mom had probably been home, but wasn't anymore because of the half empty glass of wine sitting on the counter. My stomach growled and I guess I was hungry because it was lunch time. I had gotten to the point where I was eating about a meal and a half everyday, which was a lot more than I had been in the past few months. I got out the peanut butter and then the jelly along with the bread. I started making the sandwich and I heard the front door open and close. I didn't think anything of it because Two-Bit was always skipping school and it could have been my mom. But when two arms wrapped my stomach I thought it was Ponyboy.<p>

"I was hoping you'd follow me," I admitted. He kissed my neck and I smiled, knowing this was new for him.

"Sorry I flipped out, but you really pissed me off," I said. When he didn't say anything and his hands felt my sides, I got confused. "Ponyboy, say something..." I trailed off, when I saw that it wasn't Ponyboy standing there, but Curly Shepard.

"Weren't expecting me, huh?" he asked with a smile as he leaned onto the counter with his hands on either side of me.

"No, I wasn't. Curly, what are you doing here?"

"Just came to see you. I saw you walk away from school and I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Well...I'm fine. So you can go," I told him, but he stayed where he was and dropped his face just a few inches from mine.

"You don't want me to go."

"I have a boyfriend."

"So? From what I saw, you two aren't gettin' along so great."

"S-so. We're still going..out," I stuttered. Curly always had a way of making me fumble with my words. He had actually told me he thought it was cute.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," he said as he leaned his face closer, pressing his lips to mine. I was frozen for what seemed like forever and I finally pushed him away.

"N-no, Curly. I can't do this to him."

"Since when did you become such a goodie goodie?" he asked.

"I'm not...I just...He's a good guy and I can't go around kissing my ex-boyfriend behind his back."

"But he goes around kissing your best friend behind your back," he stated, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" I asked softly.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, doll, but when he and Angel were studyin' I walked in on them makin' out."

"No..I don't believe you," I said immediately after he told me what they were doing.

"Believe it. He's a cheater."

"He wouldn't cheat on me! He's not you," I snapped.

"But you wish he was. Just admit it, Valerie, you still have feelings for me."

"Curly, you broke up with me...of course I still have feelings for you." As much as I hated it, I did still have feelings for him. I mean he was my first real boyfriend and we dated for about a year.

"I made a mistake."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," he breathed out before kissing me again.

This time I kissed back...I don't know what I was thinking. He started to put his hands up my shirt and I got the chills as he did this. I ran my fingers through the back of his hair as his tongue slid into my mouth and began dancing with mine. I don't know what it was about him, but I couldn't stop. I guess I still had those feelings all bottled up and now they were exploding.

"Valerie," he said in between kisses, "I want you back."

"I can't, Curly," I replied. He nodded and trailed kisses down my neck.

I started to get a little nervous and he put his hand on my breast and I noticed for the first time that my shirt was half-way ripped open from the bottom. I wanted to tell him to stop. That he was going to far. That I wasn't ready and this was wrong, but I couldn't find my voice. Luckily, Two-Bit found it for me.

"Get the hell off of her, Shepard," Two-Bit threatened. Curly slowly pulled away and smirked at him.

"I was just leavin'," he responded, "I'll see you later." He said the last part looking at me and my body.

"Bye," I said. My voice came out hoarse and quiet and I knew it was because I had missed Curly.

"Val, what are you doin'?" Two-Bit asked once Curly was gone.

"I-I don't know. He came over and...it got outta hand," I answered. I was surprised at how calm about this he was being.

"Yeah, I can see that." I looked down to my shirt that was only being closed by two middle buttons. If Two-Bit hadn't come home, they probably would've gotten undone too.

"I can't believe I just did that."

"You know you have to tell Ponyboy, right?"

"Yeah...but not right now. We um, we just had a big fight."

"About what?" he questioned, finishing the sandwich I had started and eating it.

"Nothing. We just had a fight and I left him with Angela," I said. It sounded even dumber out loud than it did in my head.

"I don't know, Val. I think you should go tell him now," Two-Bit advised me.

"I will...I will."

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><p>AN: Oooh so yeah, Pony and Valerie are fighting and Curly and Angela are back! Now don't go thinking Valerie is a...bad word...lol because she's most certainly not (she just has feelings for two boys and one just happened to be alone with her). I'm so sorry for the shortness! But I wanted to get another chapter out quickly after all the reviews I got for the the last one! So leave me a review? I'd love it if you did :)


	14. It's Over

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! Sorry I took a little longer to update, I'm trying to adjust to high school :/ But please enjoy!

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><p>I left the house, after I changed of course, and headed back to school. I was nervous about talking to Ponyboy and as I approached the school I realized that I didn't want to tell him. But no, I had to tell him.<p>

"She's a slut, Ponyboy, forget about her," I heard someone say just before I walked onto the football field. I stopped and hid behind behind the bleachers and watched as Angela stood facing Ponyboy.

"Look, Angela, I know you're jealous and all, but she's still my girlfriend and I don't appreciate you talkin' about her like that," Ponyboy replied.

"You're so right. I _am_ jealous."

"But I...I don't like you like that, okay?"

"Oh I think you do, but you just need someone to help you realize it," she smiled, taking his hand and placing it on her butt. I thought he would push her away or something, but instead he kept it there.

"See, you know you like me."

"I-I..." he stuttered.

"Don't bother speaking. I know something else we can do." She kissed him and I sat there and watched as he didn't pull away...He kissed back!

I could feel the tears in my eyes and I tried to control myself, but I just couldn't. Someone had to stop this, and no one else was around.

"I can't believe you!" I screamed, coming out from behind the bleachers.

"V-Valerie," Ponyboy said quickly. He moved away from Angela who was smirking at me.

"Don't even bother!" I snapped, "How the hell could you kiss her?"

"You still tryin' ta act innocent?" Curly asked, walking up behind Angela and Ponyboy.

"Not now," I warned him.

"Why? I told you something was goin' on between them. Besides, you already cheated on him, what does it matter now?"

I froze and looked at Ponyboy. "You cheated on me?"

"Pony, you don't understand-"

"No, I understand just fine. You were gonna yell at me for doing something you already did!"

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up! God, I knew it would never work out between us!" What a lie...

"Then why did you say yes?" he questioned.

"Because I thought you were different," I answered honestly.

"Different from what? From him? Because obviously you still want him!"

"Oh and you don't want her?" I said, pointing at Angela.

"No, I don't, because she's not you, Val."

"Well ain't that sweet. After findin' out you nearly went all the way with me, he still likes ya," Curly smirked.

"I did not go all the way with you!" I shouted.

"Wanna?"

"Shut up, Shepard," Pony snapped.

"Who's gonna make me?" Curly shot back, walking closer to him.

"I'll kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try." Just as Curly finished that sentence, Ponyboy hit him in the face.

This started a full on fight as Curly punched Ponyboy in the stomach. Soon they were rolling around on the ground, both of them getting hit a few times and bleeding on each other. I was still confused about everything though. I mean we cheated on each other, but he was still fighting for me? I guess I didn't notice how close the fight was getting to me because I got tossed around quite a bit and stumbled to the ground.

"Valerie, are you-" Ponyboy got up to ask, but was soon knocked back down to the ground.

"Curtis, you better pray that someone gets out here soon or I'm gonna kill you," Curly threatened.

"Get offa him!" I screamed, trying to get Curly off, but this just got me pushed into the arms of another person. I looked up to see Johnny.

"Johnny Cakes," I said, crying into his chest, "Please stop him, please."

"Okay," he whispered.

"Curly, man, come on," Johnny tried.

"Back off Cade."

"Curly come on, let up on him." I never thought I'd see someone hit Johnny, besides his parents, but when Curly took that swing at him I nearly tackled him.

"Curly, stop!" We had attracted a small crowd and a few of the boys were starting to hoot and holler at them.

"Come on, Curtis! Kick his ass!" someone yelled.

"How'd Cade get in there?" someone asked, or screamed I suppose.

"Shepard, you gonna let him beat you?" another questioned.

Finally everyone got quiet and I wondered why. I hadn't been looking at the fight going on because I was afraid of what they'd done to each other, but when I looked back at the fight there was no fight going on. I saw Curly standing up with his blade out, being held by his shirt by a teacher and Ponyboy still on the ground unconcious.

"Pony," I whispered to no one in particular. I immediately knelt down on the ground beside him and brushed off some of the dirt that was on his face.

"Excuse me, but we need to get him to the nurse now," an older teacher told me, lightly pulling me up from the ground.

"Okay." I watched as he and another teacher got him up and the younger one took him into his arms and carried him back into the school.

"Shepard, you're done! I've had enough of this and I'll be damned if you stay in this school any longer!" the man holding Curly by his shirt roared.

"You think I give a fuck?" Curly laughed.

"Get outta here!" the teacher released him, a bit harshly, but I think he deserved it. "Now all of you...except for you, Shepard, get to class!"

The teacher didn't bother to see if anyone actually listened to him so I stayed where I was, afraid that if I moved something else would happen. While I stood there a thought came to mind...

"Johnny?" I asked, looking around.

"I'm right here," he answered, leaning up against the bleachers.

"Oh thank god, you're okay."

"I guess," he nodded. I saw what he meant. He had a black eye slowly forming, but that was about it. I knew he didn't fight back against Curly because he was scared.

"Such a damn pansy...Don't know what I saw in him," Angela laughed.

"Angela, I cannot believe you would do something like that," I said quietly through clentched teeth.

"What? Try and steal back a guy you knew I liked?"

"You said you were over him. But that doesn't matter! You don't just kiss your best friend's boyfriend!"

"Oh boo hoo, get over it!" With that she stalked off towards the school.

"I think I'm gonna go," Johnny commented.

"Okay, Johnny...I'll see ya later," I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

After everyone left it was just Curly and I. I stood there looking at him. Watching as he played with his switch blade. I noticed the way he eyes flickered from spot to spot on the grass and how his mouth twitched ever so slightly. I'd never seen like that before...So angry yet so calm.

"What's with you?" I inquired, calmer than I would have liked.

"If I don't get you then neither does he. Besides I really hate the guy," he answered nonchalantly. I knew that the last bit of that wasn't true at all because I'd caught him and Pony buddying around on more than one occasion.

"So you got me to cheat on him so he'd dump me..."

"And I got Angela to get him to cheat on you so you wouldn't want him. Wasn't that hard for her to say yes," he chuckled.

"And here I was thinkin' you were the dumb Shepard boy," I smirked. His jaw clentched and I knew I'd hit a nerve of his. If he hated one thing the most, it was being compared to Tim.

"Shut up," he snapped.

"What? I'm just sayin', you'd think bein' Tim's brother you'd be as smart as he is."

"I am...I'm fuckin' smarter than him."

"No, you're not," I laughed loudly.

He took a few steps toward me and I could see the anger burning behind his eyes. But after a minute of that he cooled down and the soft, light brown eyes that I'd fallen for in the first place came back.

"Curly, you hurt me when you told me that you didn't want me being your girl anymore and I'll never forget that. We were together and now we're not so it's done with. Leave. It. Alone."

"I don't want to leave it alone though," he whined, "I really lo- care about you, Valerie. I bet I can care about you more than he can!"

"I'm only fifteen! I don't even know who or want I want yet. If something happens with Ponyboy than yeah maybe I'll reconsider you, but for now I need to make things better with him."

"Alright," he sighed, obviously annoyed that he'd been defeated.

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><p>"Ponyboy!" I squealed, seeing that he was awake in the nurse's office.<p>

"Valerie, I don't think you should be here right now," he responded.

"Please just hear me out?" I begged, walking in to see that the nurse was busy with some sick kid.

"Fine."

"I...I don't know what happened. I mean I do know what happened, but I don't know why. I just didn't know how to stop him!"

"How far did it go?" he asked quietly.

"I don't think that's important."

"How far did it go?" he asked again.

"I...he...well we kissed and my shirt..." I just couldn't explain what happened.

"Just tell me, Val."

I walked closer to him and sat down on the cot they had him on.

"I let him get to second..."

"Why?"

"I...think I just had some feelings left over and I couldn't control them. But I'm over him, I promise. It'll never happen again, Pony, I swear."

"I-I don't know if I can believe you. I mean it could happen again."

"You don't believe me? What about you kissing Angela?" I said in a slightly higher tone of voice.

"She kissed me. I didn't know what to do."

"I'm sorry...But please, I wanna get over this...fight and just get back to us." At this point I was crying and I'm pretty sure the nurse and the sick kid were watching.

"No." His answer hit me so hard I nearly broke down right there.

"But why?" I pressed.

"'Cause you still have feelings for Curly and I...I think we just need to take a break," he responded.

"Okay," I said as calmly as I could. I took off the ring from my finger and placed it in his hand.

I looked at him for the second time since I walked into the nurse's office and really noticed the black eye and swollen lip he had. The bleeding from his lip had stopped now, but you could still tell that the blood was once there. The sight was awful. I also noticed more bruises on his cheek and wondered if he had any anywhere else.

"I'll...I'll see you around," he told me.

I just shook my head no and wiped the tears from my face. I stood up and quickly walked out. I broke into a run and ignored the shouts telling me to stop. I wasn't paying attention to anything, but where I was going. Even though I didn't know where I was going. I know it sounds like I'm just a big baby, crying about a boy, but it's like they say; he's the one. I was absolutely and positively in love with Ponyboy. I couldn't have been anymore in love with anyone. No, I wasn't in love...I loved him. I loved him with every fiber of my being and I couldn't let go of him that easily. This break up was about to tear me apart and I knew just where to go so I didn't end up in shreds. Bucks.

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><p>AN: :) What'd ya think? I know things got a bit emotional..well they did for me, but that's a whole 'nother story haha! I'd love to know what you're thinking about the whole Curly and Ponyboy fight...and Ponyboy breaking up with Valerie? Please review!


	15. Party at Buck's

A/N: Soo...I just wanted to mention how happy you guys make me! And I finally got my spelling and grammar thing fixed! YAY…lol

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does! I only own Valerie and any other people who aren't from The Outsiders.

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><p>I knocked on the door of Buck's and the door opened slowly. I was glad that I'd decided at the last minute to not go there earlier. I had just gone to talk to Sylvia, who I thought might still be with Dally, but I figured she probably wasn't so I just went home. It was about seven o'clock so I knew someone had to be there.<p>

"What is it?" Buck asked, scratching his neck.

"Um, I...I really needed a good, free drink..."

"Free?" he scoffed.

"Well...I don't have any money."

"You're Mathews' kid sister. That right?"

"Yeah."

"Come on in then. Whiskey's in the fridge, harder stuff's in the lower cabinet," he told me.

"Thanks." I walked past him, noticing a few people at the bar, and bent down to get the good liquor.

"How old are you, kid?" a guy asked from behind me. I was having a hard time finding the whiskey though so I was only half paying attention.

"Fifteen. Almost sixteen."

"You gotta pretty nice ass for a kid," he commented. I turned around fast, but was pushed back into the counter.

"Back off, asshole," I snapped.

"Relax, baby, just wanna have a little fun with ya," he slurred.

"Look, I'm not here for "a little fun". Besides your obviously too old for me."

"I'm only sixteen," he replied.

"Then I'm not a kid. So fuck off."

"You seem upset, baby. Talk to Adam."

"Well, Adam, if you must know, my boyfriend broke up with me today."

"Now that's a real shame. A girl like you oughta have someone to...have fun with."

He smiled a lopsided smile and began to kiss my neck. I let a moan slip and felt him smirk against me. He moved his hands to my butt and kissed me. I didn't fight him as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around the guy's neck and kissed back harder.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone asked. I broke apart from this Adam guy and saw Sylvia standing there with an unimpressed look on her face.

"I was just-"

"Come on." She grabbed my arm and pulled me away from him and I reluctantly followed her all the way upstairs. She took me into a room and I noticed Dally's cross necklace sitting on the dresser.

"Is this Dally's room?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Now shut up," she ordered, "What the hell were you doing down there?"

"What did it look like?"

"Looked like you were foolin' around behind that Curtis kid's back."

"We broke up so no I wasn't."

"You broke up with him? See, I told you he wasn't your type."

"I...didn't break up with him...He broke up with me 'cause I cheated on him with Curly," I confessed.

"What?" Dally snapped, coming out of the bathroom. I was taken off guard when I saw him in only his jeans. Yeah I knew he was good looking, but...wow.

"I-I, um," I stuttered, feeling my cheeks get hot.

"What the fuck were you thinkin'? Foolin' around with Shepard? Of all guys, ya pick Shepard?"

"Dal, it's not the first-"

"Shit, kid, does your brother know about this?"

"Yes, he's the one who found out."

"Well good fuckin' luck with that one."

"Shit! You both try and act like cheating is something you're against when you cheat on each other all the time! Obviously, it works for you guys, so why can't it work for me?" I yelled, standing up off the bed.

"Our...relationship isn't exactly ideal, hon," Sylvia laughed.

"Damn right about that," Dally grumbled. Sylvia looked at Dally and they just looked at each other for a minute, then they just started making out. It started to get a bit disturbing so I left.

"Well there you are. I was wonderin' where you went," Adam smiled, tottering over to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah sorry, I had something to take care of."

"Didn't know you were that kind of girl."

"I'm not," I smirked, "I had to talk to a friend."

"Well now that you're done, you want somethin' to drink?"

"Sure," I said, taking the drink he was offering me.

* * *

><p>"You wanna dance?" he asked after a bit of drinking. I nodded and let him take me out to the dance floor.<p>

At first, I wasn't that close to him, but after a little while my body was pressed against his. I could feel his hands on my lower back, but they were slowly moving towards my butt. I didn't care, though, because I had a few drinks in me and it's not like I had a boyfriend anymore.

"So you never told me your name," Adam said.

"It's Valerie," I replied.

"Nice name."

"Thanks."

"So your boyfriend broke up with ya?"

"Yeah…he found out about me cheating on him."

"Cheating? Why'd ya cheat on him?" he chuckled.

"It was with my ex-boyfriend and it just kinda happened. But whatever, it's over now…Time to move on," I shrugged.

"I like you, Valerie."

"Well you're not too bad yourself, Adam."

His hands had reached my butt now and he smiled, pressing his lips to mine. I broke the kiss to lead him over to the couch where he stumbled and fell onto it, bringing me along with him. I smirked, seeing as how I was in his lap. He quickly regained his sense of what was going on and continued to kiss me. I had never been like that with a guy before, even with Curly, but there's a first for everything. The kissing became much deeper and his hands were moving well up my skirt.

"How 'bout we go upstairs," he suggested.

"Sounds like a good time to me," I flirted.

He took my hand and led me up the stairs, pausing once to kiss me pretty hard, but then continuing to move up the stairs. I'm not stupid, I knew where this was going, but I just didn't care. We found an empty room and Adam locked the door, making me a little nervous. He walked towards me and I backed up until I fell onto the bed. He climbed half-way on top of me and the making out started up again.

"Adam," I called.

"What?"

"If I told you I was a virgin, what would you say?"

"I'd say there's a first for everything." I was glad that he didn't object to the idea of me being a virgin, probably because I wouldn't be one for long.

The kissing was getting heavy and he started to undo the buttons at the bottom of my shirt. I almost said something, but I knew that if I did he'd just laugh and tell me that I couldn't handle it or something. So there I was, lying on a bed with some guy I just met, making out and about to go all the way with him. That thought really didn't hit me until he took off his shirt and got mine completely unbuttoned, showing my white bra. I started to get really nervous because I didn't know what to do beyond that point. Adam didn't seem to notice though as he pulled my shirt off of me and his hands starting roaming my exposed skin. Someone was jiggling the door knob, but I figured it was just some couple trying to get a room. When the door burst open Adam leaned up off of me.

"Get the fuck off of her," Dally commanded.

"Who the hell are you?" Adam asked, standing up.

"Doesn't matter who the hell I am. What matters is who the fuck you are."

"Valerie, is this guy for real?" he asked, looking at me.

"Dally, get out," I ordered.

"Shut up," he said to me. "And you, get the fuck out before I kick your fuckin' ass," he said to Adam.

It wasn't until Adam looked at me again, letting his eyes travel down to my chest, that I realized I was half-naked in front of Dally. I grabbed my shirt of the floor and put it back on, buttoning half of the buttons.

"Dal, please, just get out. This isn't any of your business!" I yelled.

"This is my business! And don't yell at me!"

"He's not gonna let up so I'm gonna go, but I'll meet you here around one, okay?" I whispered into Adam's ear. He nodded and grabbed his shirt off the floor. After he gave Dally one last glare he left the room.

"Kid, do you know how lucky you are that it's me here and not your brother?" Dally asked.

"I know, I know. But really, was it necessary to just barge in like that?" I responded.

"Yeah, it was."

"Why!"

"'Cause I fuckin' said so, that's why." I rolled my eyes and buttoned the rest of my shirt.

I had always looked at Dally as a big brother type, but now he was crossing the line. He had no right to just interrupt me when I was with a guy. I would never know why he interrupted us, but Dally's just strange like that. I left him standing in the middle of room to go down to the bar before I left. I got a few shots of something; I had no clue what it was.

* * *

><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

Valerie stumbled out of Buck's at around ten o'clock, after staying there for much longer than she intended. She'd had more than a few drinks and now she was a little drunk. She managed to find her way home, but when she got there Two-Bit was not happy.

"What the hell have you been doin'?" he asked.

"I-I was…um," she stopped to remember what she'd been doing, "Oh! I went to Buck's."

"Bucks?" Two-Bit roared.

"Yeah…"

"Why the hell did you go to Buck's?"

"'Cause Ponyboy broke up with me!" she cried.

"What?" Two-Bit's voice was suddenly softer. He knew how Valerie felt about Ponyboy and without him; he knew she'd be a wreck.

"After he found out a-about me and Curly, h-he got in a fight with Curly and then h-he broke up with me," she sobbed.

"Come here," Two-Bit told her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I hate him," she slurred.

"I have something to do, but I'll be back in about an hour or so. You gonna be alright until I get back?"

"I guess." He kissed the top of her head and walked out the front door.

He hadn't told Valerie what he was doing because even in her drunken and upset state she would try to stop him. He planned on going over to the Curtis' and beating the living daylights out of Ponyboy so he started up his car and drove off toward their house.

"Hey!" Two-Bit shouted, walking through the Curtis' door.

"Two-Bit, man, what's up?" Soda asked.

"Where's your brother?" he asked roughly.

"Which one?"

"The kid."

"Ponyboy!" Soda called. Ponyboy walked into the living room from the kitchen and stopped when he saw Two-Bit; he had a feeling he knew what was going on.

"You!" Two-Bit yelled, "You're the reason Valerie's been at Buck's for three hours!"

"She went to Buck's?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe she was just bein' stupid, goin' there, but no she was there 'cause ya broke up with her!"

"I-I…"

Two-Bit wanted to hit him, but he knew that he couldn't. He liked Ponyboy too much for that, even if he did break his baby sister's heart. Besides, he knew that Darry would most likely beat him to a pulp if he touched Ponyboy.

"You really screwed her up, kid. She's a mess, cryin' and drinkin'. She ain't herself right now and I hope for your sake that she gets over this," Two-Bit snapped.

"She cheated on me!" Ponyboy argued.

"I know, but Shepard came over there and well, it's pretty much his fault. But either way, she really cared about you, Pony."

"Apparently she didn't care that much."

"You got no fuckin' idea, kid."

"Hey, watch the language, Two-Bit," Darry told him.

"Yeah, I hear ya, Superman. But let me just set you straight, kid, don't talk to her, don't be around her, don't have anything to do with her, okay?"

"But-"

"I mean it. She doesn't need you makin' things harder and by what she said, I don't think she wants you around anymore."

"What did she say?" Pony asked cautiously.

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah, man, just tell me."

"She said…that she hates you. Now I know she's a little drunk, but buddy she sounded serious when she said that."

"She hates me?" Ponyboy questioned. He knew he'd partially screwed up his relationship and now his friendship with Valerie, but he didn't think she'd hate him.

"Is there anything else you wanna say? 'Cause I swear if I find out you did somethin' else to make her that upset, you're dead."

"I-I…I kissed Angela Shepard and she caught me," Ponyboy admitted, earning a shocked looked from Darry, Soda, and Two-Bit.

"No wonder she hates ya so much," Two-Bit chuckled.

"Well she kissed me…I just didn't push her away."

"Ya know, I oughta hate you too…but I don't. The only thing I'm tellin' you right now is to stay away from her."

"Alright."

With that Two-Bit left and drove home. When he got there Valerie was passed out on the couch so he picked her up and carried her up to her room. He gently, or as gently as he could, laid her down on her bed.

* * *

><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. I'd been having the worst nightmare of my life, but I knew it wasn't just a nightmare. Ponyboy had really broken up with me and it the hurt was still fresh in my mind.

I looked at my clock to see that it was 12:30 in the morning and I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be meeting Adam at 1:00. I quietly got up out of bed and walked to the bathroom to fix my hair and my make-up. Once I had all that fixed, I grabbed my shoes out of my room and crept down the stairs. Two-Bit was passed out on the couch so I figured he was drunk. I finally got out of the house and began walking to Buck's.

"Hey there, doll, you need a drink," some guy asked me when I walked in.

"Not from you," I sharply replied.

"Hey! Valerie!" someone shouted. I turned around to see Adam walking towards me.

"Hey," I greeted him.

"I'm glad you came. I didn't know if you were actually gonna show or not."

"Of course I came."

"It's a real shame we got interrupted earlier," he noted, pulling me closer to him.

"Yeah it is."

"You still wanna have some fun?"

"Yeah, I'm ready for some _real_ fun," I smiled.

* * *

><p>AN: Soooo did you guys like it? Love it? Hate it? I must know! Oh and I know Two-Bit may have been a tad OOC in this chapter, but hey he's trying to protect his little sister! And also with Dally, I tried to keep him in character, while still being sort of protective-ish of Valerie! Remember, I love getting suggestions or thoughts because I like to know what's goin' on in your heads, so please review!


	16. I'm Not Over You, But This Beer Is Good

A/N: So thanks for the reviews! Now I thought very carefully about this chapter and with a little help from ForTheloveOfDally I finally decided on what I wanted to do! I really hope you guys like it :)

* * *

><p>Things between Adam and I were so heated I was barely paying any attention to what he was doing. But I was paying enough attention to know that we were both shirtless and I was soon to be without my skirt. He tugged at the zipper on the side of my skirt and pulled it off of me. I let out a moan as he ran his fingers along my upper thigh. Suddenly Adam was taken away from me and I gasped seeing Two-Bit angrier than I'd ever seen him.<p>

"You have five fucking seconds to get the hell out of this room," Two-Bit told Adam through clenched teeth.

Adam scrambled off the floor and grabbed his shirt, nearly running out of the room. I found my skirt and slipped it on. Two-Bit may be my brother, but I still didn't want him seeing me half-naked. I got up off of the bed and looked around for my shirt when I spotted it across the room. I quickly grabbed it and started buttoning it.

"What the hell were you thinkin'?" Two-Bit yelled once I was dressed.

"That I was drinking a little and I wanted to have some fun," I laughed.

"Fun? You call getting drunk and having sex with some guy, fun?"

"I didn't even have sex with him, Two-Bit! And besides, you get drunk and sleep with different girls every night!" I was getting really angry now so I let my hands drop to my side, even though I hadn't even gotten one button done on my shirt.

"That's different! I've already screwed up my life, Val. You're smarter than this…" he trailed off, looking at something behind me.

I turned to see Dally standing there. His eyes trailed over my body and realized that my shirt was still open. As I blushed I quickly buttoned it up and he walked into the room.

"I took care of it," he told Two-Bit.

"Took care of what?" I questioned.

"Nothin'," they both answered simultaneously.

"Tell me."

"It ain't any of your business," Dally stated.

"Whatever," I grumbled, walking out of the room.

"Hey! Where do you think you're goin'?" Two-Bit asked, following me.

"Wherever the fuck I want," I snapped.

"No, you're goin' home with me."

"Two-Bit, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You don't have a choice." He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of Buck's all the way back to our house.

* * *

><p>"Ohhh, Valerie!" Two-Bit sang out in a loud and annoying voice.<p>

I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head to drown out his despicable voice because I had such a bad hangover.

"I'm not going to school today," I told him.

"Fine, but I am…so I guess I'll have to get someone to come babysit you," he laughed. Damn…I knew he was being serious just to get on my nerves.

"Alright alright, I'll go," I hissed.

I got up slowly and trudged to the bathroom to grab a quick shower. Once I had gotten my shower I felt a little better than I had before so I began looking through my clothes. I wouldn't be letting Ponyboy know how much I was hurting without him so I picked out the shortest denim miniskirt I owned and a light green blouse, which was a bit small so it was tight on the chest. I left the first two buttons undone and found my white pumps.

"Come on, idiot, let's go," I said to Two-Bit, who was sitting on the couch. Before we left I grabbed some beers and stuffed them into my bag.

We were driving along and I noticed that Two-Bit wasn't taking the normal route to school. He turned down a street and I suddenly realized where we were heading.

"T-Two-Bit, where are we going?"

"Oh…um, I may have told Johnny and…Ponyboy that I'd take them to school today," he answered.

He pulled to the Curtis' house and as soon as the car stopped I opened the door. Two-Bit beeped, seeing how we were running way late and Ponyboy and Johnny walked out of the house. I met Ponyboy's eyes for a split second, but quickly looked to the ground. With a flip of my hair I started to walk away.

"Valerie! Where ya goin'?" Two-Bit shouted.

"School," I said simply, not bothering to turn around.

"Get in the car!"

"Not with him!" I yelled back.

I heard the doors to his car shut and smirked in victory. His car started up and as he drove by me he beeped, giving me the finger. I just laughed him off because I knew he didn't mean it. Wow, even my laugh sounded weird to me…Everything was weird now.

"Valerie," someone called. I froze…I knew that voice. "Valerie, stop."

"No," I replied as I regained my composure and began walking again.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" he asked.

I stopped and turned around to face him. He had a genuinely confused look on his face and I think I even detected a hint of anger.

"What the hell do you think is the fucking matter with me?"

"Look, I don't know, but I-I don't know…"

"Exactly. You don't know anything about me. You don't anything at all," I spat.

"I know a lot more about you than you think!"

"I don't know why you're even wasting your breath on me, Ponyboy."

"I don't either," he retorted. That hurt me a whole lot more than even the break-up.

I turned back around and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear while I tried to walk with pride. I knew Ponyboy was probably still behind me, seeing as how he didn't have any other way to get to school except to walk. I held back the tears that I just wanted to let out. I couldn't even stand talking to him, let alone seeing him one day after our break-up? How pathetic is that! I mean it didn't take me too long to get over Curly and we dated for a lot longer than three months, why couldn't I just forget about Ponyboy? What was so special about him?

* * *

><p>I finally made it to school and rushed to my locker and grabbed my books. Then a thought hit me…I had three out of five classes with Ponyboy! How was I supposed to be in the same room with him? No…no I would get over him and I would be fine in the same classroom with him. Well maybe I would be fine for half of the first class I had with him. I walked around in the halls for a little bit until I got caught by a teacher. He yelled at me then asked where I was supposed to be for first period. When I told him, he took me down to that class and nearly pushed me into it.<p>

"I caught this young lady wondering the halls when she was supposed to be in this class," he said to my English teacher.

"Thank you," my English teacher replied.

Once the other guy had left my teacher started yelling at me,

"Miss Mathews! What exactly were you doing out in the hallway?"

"Um, *hiccup*, I dunno," I answered. Okay so, maybe I had been drinking more than a few beers while I was wasting time.

"Is that alcohol I smell?"

"Maybe…I dunno."

"Let me see your bag," he ordered.

"Whatever."

He looked through it and I smirked when he didn't see anything. Truth was I drank all the beers in the half hour that I spent walking around.

"I don't see anything…but I'll be keeping my eye on you, Miss Mathews."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I laughed.

I took my bag back from him and stumbled to my seat, ignoring the snickers and gasps that were coming from the Socs in the class. I put my feet up on the desk and began doodling in my notebook. My teacher was going on about something and I had no clue what he was saying, but I didn't care. All I was focused on was my doodling…that is until I noticed Ponyboy sitting a row up and a seat over from me. Of course, I wouldn't even acknowledge him sober, but drunk…now that's a totally different situation.

I ripped off some of the paper from my notebook and rolled it up. I threw the piece of paper at Ponyboy and he rubbed the back of his head. I quietly giggled and threw another piece at him. He turned around and looked at me so I waved at him. He rolled his eyes and turned back around. I pouted and threw a few more pieces at him.

"Would you stop?" he whispered to me. I just shook my head no and threw another piece.

"Valerie," he said a little louder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Curtis? Is there a problem?"

"Oh, uh no sir…sorry."

"Then keep it down."

"Yes, sir," he replied.

I spit the gum out of my mouth into my hand and threw it at Ponyboy's head, but it ended up hitting his arm instead.

"What the hell?" he asked, twisting around again to face me. This of course, made me laugh and everyone looked at the two of us.

"Mr. Curtis, Miss Mathews! What are you doing back there?"

"I dunno," I laughed.

"That's it. Both of you, out. Now!"

"W-Where are we supposed to-"

"I don't care where you go," he said, cutting Ponyboy off, "Just get out of my classroom. I'll see you two tomorrow and hopefully you'll be able to control yourselves."

I almost fell getting out of my chair and Ponyboy sighed. He grabbed my arm, along with my bag and pulled me out of the room. When we got out of the room I, for some unfathomable reason, pulled Ponyboy against me while I leaned on the lockers. He looked shocked and I giggled, running my hand down his chest to his belt.

"You are so…hot," I whispered into his ear.

"Valerie, stop this. You're drunk as hell and this ain't you," he said.

"'Course it's me. Who else would it be?" I asked dumbly.

"You can't be here right now."

"W-why not?"

"Because…look I need to stay here. Are you gonna be okay getting home by yourself?" Well he was being awfully nice for just having broken up with me for cheating on him.

"I guess," I shrugged.

"Good. You should probably go then, before anyone else sees you."

"Bye bye, Pony."

I started to walk down the hallway, but the sound of my English teacher stopped me.

"I would just like to inform you that for the project we will be doing, you two are partners," he said, sticking his head out the door.

"What?" I gasped.

Well that sobered me up _real _quick.

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah…I hope you guys are happy with the decisions I made for this chapter! What did you think about Two-Bit ruining Valerie's "moment" with Adam? And how about the fact that Valerie is so obviously not over Ponyboy (even though it's only been a day)? Oh and what about Pony and Valerie having to be partners for a project! Please review! Even though it was short :(


	17. Curly or Pony

A/N: Soo….not so sure on what to say, but thankiiess for the reviews :D

* * *

><p>No. No. No! This was bullshit! I hated working with Ponyboy. And to make things even worse, we were studying Romeo and Juliet…Just fantastic! First we had to read it, and then we had to write an essay on it. But there was no getting out of this. I had tried to talk to my teacher; I even explained the situation, but he said that partners were final.<p>

"Valerie, will you at least try?"

"No," I answered, folding my arms over my chest.

"Please?" I looked over at him and saw that he was serious.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what? Trying to get our project done?"

"Not what I meant, Ponyboy…" I sighed and got off of his couch.

"Then tell me what you meant," he demanded.

"I meant…stop trying to act like this is normal!" I pleaded.

"Well what do you want me to do? Huh? It's been two weeks and if you can't get over this then…" he trailed off probably seeing the tears in my eyes.

"Get over this? Over what? Our relationship?"

"Yes."

"Oh I'm so sorry that I'm having a little trouble moving on from our three month relationship…Oh wait! That's right; I don't give a shit about our god damn relationship!"

"Yes you do," he said, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him. "You know you do…And I do too."

"Ponyboy, w-what are you doing?" I was trying to get away, really I was, but the closeness of our bodies and his eyes barring into my mine just fogged up my head.

"I can't do this either. I've been trying to act like you don't mean anything to me anymore…but truth is, you mean everything to me."

"I can't mean everything to you though, you broke up with me," I argued.

"I made a mistake," he admitted.

"No…you didn't. It wasn't a mistake because I-I would've…I would've broken up with you anyways," I lied.

"What?"

"I have to go," I claimed, wiping the forming tears from my eyes as I grabbed my bag and flew out the door.

I don't know what it was about him that made me so open and vulnerable, but I hated it. I hated crying in front of people, but I had never been afraid to cry in front of him and that was one of my greatest mistakes; letting myself fall in love with him. It was stupid and wrong and I knew it, but I completely ignored it. Now it was coming back to bite me in the ass…all because he still had feelings for me and I so desperately wanted to get rid of the ones I had for him.

I hadn't noticed how hard it was raining until I actually started walking down the street. The rain was cold and coming down hard, but at least it masked the tears that were now falling down my face. I could openly cry in the rain and I loved it! I guess I didn't hear the footsteps behind me through the rain because I nearly screamed when someone grabbed my arm. They pulled me around and before I knew it I was standing face to… well, almost face to face, with Ponyboy.

"Why did you follow me?" I asked him.

He didn't answer me with words though. He just pulled me closer to him and kissed me. Call me stupid, but as soon as his lips hit mine I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back. I felt his hands on my lower back and I realized how much I missed him, even if it had only been a couple of weeks.

"Why…why did you do that?" I inquired.

"Because I had to, Val. I don't like us not being…well us. It drives me crazy that I can't kiss you every day and how…good you look."

"Ponyboy, I already told you that I would've broken up with you."

"I know that's a lie. If you feel the same way I do then you know that you love me."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that…I love you, Valerie. I know it sounds crazy right now, especially since we're young, but I really do love you," he told me. I thought I was going to pass out.

"I don't know what to say," I laughed tensely.

"Tell me that you don't love me and I'll leave you alone, but if you love me then…" he trailed off.

I took a deep breath and answered, "I don't love you."

"Okay then. I'll leave you alone."

He released me and I took a step away from him. While I stood there watching him walk home, I wanted to shout out to him. I wanted to tell him that I was lying, that I really did love him, but my heart wouldn't let me. The more I thought about heart break the sadder I got. But then I thought about something…

* * *

><p>"What?" Angela snapped, opening the door.<p>

"Where's Curly?" I asked.

"His room."

"Great. I really need to talk to him."

"Curly!" she shouted towards the upstairs, "There's a slut here for you!"

I rolled my eyes as she turned back to me and smirked. Curly came down the stairs and stopped when he saw me. I bit my bottom lip hoping that he wouldn't just walk away. Fortunately he smiled and told Angela to leave so he could talk me on the porch.

"So what are you here for?" he asked. Except he didn't ask it as rudely as it sounds.

"Just to talk," I answered.

"To talk? About what, huh? You finally comin' back to me?"

"I never left," I said quietly, "You pushed me away."

"I'm sorry, ya know."

"How do I know you're really sorry?"

"I can show you better than I can tell you," he smiled.

"I bet you can," I breathed out as he pushed me against the house.

He pressed his lips against mine and I couldn't help but think about Ponyboy while this was happening. I quickly shook him out of my head and smiled against Curly's lips. His hands were making their way up my shirt, but I didn't even care as I played with his hair. I moaned and he smirked, harshly grabbing my butt. I also noticed how rough he was with me. When Ponyboy and I made out it was passionate, but soft and sweet, not like it was with Curly.

"How 'bout we go inside," he suggested, taking his lips off of mine for a minute.

"Inside?" I asked.

"Yeah, we can go up to my room and…uh…ya know."

"Curly, I don't know if I wanna do that."

"Maybe you don't know it, but I know you do."

"Okay," I giggled.

He took my hand and I followed him until we reached his room. I hesitated before I walked in, getting nervous before anything even happened. He turned to look at me with the smile that I knew all too well. Soon my back was against his wall and the buttons on my shirt were slowly being unbuttoned.

"Curly."

"Hmm?" he asked.

"I came here…to talk. Not to…do this."

"You smell good, ya know that?" he said, changing the subject.

"Thanks."

We kissed a little more before he guided my body to his bed where he laid me down. He lay down on top of me and unzipped my skirt. After he got both my shirt and my skirt off I helped him take his clothes off. I don't know how he did it, but he managed to get me naked within twenty seconds of that.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you should probably get goin'," Curly said after we were done.<p>

"What?"

"Well we ain't together."

"But I thought…"

"You thought what? That after I got you in bed I'd wanna get back together with ya?"

"Well yeah," I admitted.

"Sorry, doll, that ain't gonna be the case here."

"Oh…well, Curly, you are an asshole!"

"I know."

I finished getting my clothes on and stormed out of his room. I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been to actually have sex with him and think that he would want more than that afterwards. I passed Angela on the way down the stairs and she didn't laugh or even smirk. All she did was give me a sad look. I ignored her and continued down the stairs, buttoning my shirt up as I went.

As I opened the front door I saw Ponyboy standing there on the porch. He looked shocked and when he took in my appearance he looked angry. I couldn't say anything though. All I could do was let the silent tears roll down my face and run. I ran all the way back to my house and to my room where I collapsed on the floor and started bawling my eyes out.

"What the fuck!" I cried out, "I give you fucking sex and all you can do is send me on my way? Fuck you!"

I knew Curly couldn't hear me, but that didn't stop me from cursing his name. I wasn't a virgin anymore thanks to him and I felt sick to my stomach about it.

* * *

><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

Ponyboy stared after Valerie as she ran down the street crying. As soon as he saw the state she was in he knew she'd been doing something with Curly. The thought of her and Curly made him so angry he pounded on the door to the Shepard's house. Angela opened the door and smirked as soon as she saw Ponyboy.

"Well hello there, Pony. Finally come back for more?" she flirted.

"No," he answered, "Where's Curly?"

"Upstairs. Probably trying to recover from the horrible lay he just got," she laughed.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"You mean you didn't see Valerie just run out of here?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think she…"

"Didn't think she'd fuck my brother?" she snapped, "It's probably not the first time she's screwed around with someone."

Ponyboy didn't respond though. He was too busy stomping up to Curly's bedroom. He threw open his door and Curly looked up at him from his bed.

"What the hell do you want, Curtis?" Curly inquired.

"I wanna know what the hell you were doin' with Valerie," Ponyboy demanded.

"Not sure if you really wanna know that."

"Tell me."

"Well," Curly started, "She came over here askin' to talk, but then some things got outta hand and we came up here to do…some business, if ya know what I mean."

"She wouldn't sleep with you," Pony seethed.

"That proves how much you know about her."

"I know she ain't ever slept with anyone before!"

"I know that too, and now it's a lie 'cause she just did it with me. She wasn't too bad for her first time either."

"Shut up."

"Look, man, I don't want her so don't think you got any competition. She's all yours, but from the looks of it, she don't want you," Curly laughed.

"You need to stay away from her, okay? Or else we're gonna have a lot of issues," Ponyboy threatened.

"Whatever, Curtis, whatever."

Ponyboy left the Shepard's house quickly and he started for Valerie's house. She might not want to be with him, but that wouldn't stop him from comforting her.

* * *

><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

I sat there on my floor for at least a half an hour before I realized how sore my body was. Half the time I didn't even know what I was doing, I just followed Curly's body. I forced myself to get up and change out of my clothes. I put on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and lay down on my bed.

I thought I heard someone tapping on my window, but I ignored it and continued to stare at the ceiling. I heard the window open and so I looked over to see Ponyboy sticking his head through it.

"Val?" he called.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to wipe the tears off of my face.

"I came to see if you were okay…"

"I'm fine," I replied, turning to face the other way.

"I know what happened."

"How?" At this I turned around to face him.

"After you ran past me I talked to Angela."

"And you believe whatever she said? Now that makes sense," I smirked.

"Well I also stormed into their house to talk to Curly. He told me about you guys and, Valerie, what the hell were you thinkin'?"

"I don't need a lecture, Ponyboy. I know I made a huge mistake…" I started to cry a little so Ponyboy sat next to me on the bed.

"Why him?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I asked. Why him?"

"You mean why him and…not you?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Because I didn't want us to be that way. Things change between people after…that happens."

"I know," he said, taking my hand in his.

I could tell he was trying not to freak out about this. He was too sweet, really he was. He was more than a gentleman than any other guy could be to me, which is why I did the following. I moved my hand out of his hand and put it on the back of his neck, pulling him to me for a kiss. He moved his hands to my waist, but all too soon we both pulled away.

"I shouldn't have done that," I said just above a whisper.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not ready for us again, Pony."

"Ya know, I thought maybe I was ready for us again…but if you're just gonna go screw Shepard two weeks after we break up then maybe we should just forget about us," he snapped.

"W-What?"

"How's it feel to kiss someone and have them throw it back in your face? Not too good, huh?"

With that he got off of my bed and climbed back out of the window, leaving me there to start crying all over again. How could I have slept with Curly? I loved Ponyboy and that was so true it hurt. But what he'd just said hurt me even more. It wasn't like Ponyboy to be that hurtful, but I guess he was right. He kissed me and told me he loved me and all I did was tell him that I didn't love him.

But then again, maybe he was right about something else too; I should just forget about whatever he and I had.

* * *

><p>AN: So! Did you guys like it? I have a feeling some of you, if not all of you, were not too happy with the fact that she lost her virginity to Curly? I know, it's terrible, but I just had to add a little extra drama. But what about before that? About what happened between Ponyboy and Valerie? Don't worry, I'll go further into their project and what Dally "took care of" in the next chapter! But please review! Thanks :)


	18. Back Together

A/N: Soo I don't know how I managed to do it, but somehow I got you all to dislike Valerie? Ughh that was not what I was trying to do…but hopefully you'll all change your minds after this chapter :) Oh and sorry it's a tad short, I just wrote this chapter in like a few hours and I really wanted to get it posted because you guys left me so many nice reviews :)

* * *

><p>I knocked on Ponyboy's door and waited until someone opened it.<p>

"Oh hey," Pony greeted.

"Hi," I said shyly.

After sleeping with Curly and what happened with Ponyboy I wanted to change. I didn't want to be the greaser girl anymore. Well at least I didn't want to be the party-goer anymore.

"Come on in."

"Thanks."

I walked in and took a seat on the couch, pulling out my notebook and a pen. Ponyboy sat down next to me and when I turned back around I refused to meet his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm okay."

"Well we're almost done this thing so let's um, finish it up. So we're supposed end it with our theory of…love."

"Right. Well maybe we should just keep it simple. Like saying that love conquers all."

"But they both end up dead."

"Yeah, but-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Who's here?" Two-Bit yelled coming into the house.

"Hey," Ponyboy said. I managed a smile.

"What are you two up to?"

Ponyboy looked at me, but once he realized I wasn't going to answer he did it, "Just some homework."

"Oh."

"Two-Bit, what happened to Dal?" I asked.

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean, I heard some stuff about Dally and I was just wondering what happened."

"He beat up that Adam guy," he said simply.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Two-Bit, how could you let him do that!" I yelled.

"Look, you're only fifteen and that guy was tryin' to get you in bed. Hell he almost did. I wasn't gonna be the one to beat him up unless he did get you in bed, but Dallas thought differently."

"Can you please just leave…"

"Leave?" he questioned.

"Yeah."

"Fine then."

He left and I stared hard at the ground. I couldn't believe dally would do that. Well actually I could, but the fact that Two-Bit let him pissed me off. But it also made me upset that he still thought I was a virgin because I should have still been a virgin. I closed my eyes to block out those thoughts and to stop the tears. A hand on my shoulder caused me to open my eyes and look at Ponyboy.

"You're not okay," he said.

"I'm okay," I repeated.

"Do you wanna finish this then?"

"Sure. So like I was saying, even though they both die, they still end up together. I mean the whole thing is about them not being able to be together…and then after Romeo thinks Juliet is dead he dies for her because he can't live without her. Neither of them can live without each other so that's why Juliet kills herself when she finds that Romeo is dead. But in the end they die for each other; therefore, love conquers all."

"You really believe love conquers all?" he scoffed.

"Yes, I do," I answered quietly.

"Except when only one person is in love and the other just doesn't care."

"But that's not the case in this story."

"I'm not talking about Romeo and Juliet," he told me, moving closer to me.

"I'm not either," I countered.

"But I thought…I thought you said you didn't love me."

"Just because I said something doesn't make it true," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Tell me the truth then," he demanded.

"The truth? You want the absolute truth?"

"I do."

"The truth is that I do love you. I realized that right after you broke up with me."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Because I was afraid," I said, trying to hold back a sob, "I didn't know how to handle it and I didn't want to get hurt again."

"The only person who got hurt was me, Valerie."

"That's a lie! Yes, I cheated on you, but when I saw you kissing Angela I wanted to die. I can't stand the sight of you with another girl."

"Can't?"

"What?"

"You said you can't stand it when you should have said you couldn't stand it."

"No, because I still can't stand it."

Our faces were mere inches apart and I just wanted to lean into him. I wanted to kiss him again and this time make things right. But I knew that if I did that he would probably just reject me.

"How do you think I felt when I found out you cheated on me with Shepard? And then you slept with him? How could you do that to me?"

"I don't know…I was so stupid! I just gave into him and I don't know why. I mean you told me you loved me and I pushed you away. I don't even deserve you, Ponyboy. I-I really don't. I guess that's why I told you I didn't love you…I wanted you to move on and forget about me. But then I couldn't take it when you came to my house. I needed you and you'd already moved on so I decided that I would move on too…but you just ruined that!"

He started to chuckle and I pouted because I didn't have clue about how he found this funny.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You," he answered, "You're cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah. You got your hair is braided pigtails and it's pretty cute."

"I've been rambling about being in love with you and you've just been staring at my hair?"

"No, not just your hair. I've been lookin' at your lips too."

He leaned in closer and his lips met mine. I hesitated for a few seconds, but I slowly found myself kissing him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms tightened around my waist. It seemed that neither of us wanted to stop this anytime soon, and that was perfectly fine with me. But alas, my idiot brother had to ruin things between me and a boy again.

"What the hell?" Two-Bit snapped.

"T-Two-Bit," Ponyboy stuttered, "This isn't…I mean it's not what it looks like."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah…we ain't together or anything. It was accident and it don't mean anything."

"What?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"No, Val, you don't understand-"

"I understand fine. This was just another joke, huh? You wanted to get back at me one more time? That's it, right?"

"No, I love you. You know that."

"What was that?" Two-Bit asked.

"Nothing…No, you know what? I said I love her!"

Two-Bit looked between Ponyboy and I then stormed out of the house.

"Why did you tell him that it didn't mean anything?" I inquired.

"Because I knew if I told him differently then he would get angry. But then I thought about us and realized that I don't care if he gets angry because I love you that much."

"Aww, Pony," I grinned.

"Valerie, I can't go another day without you. Please just…re-think us?"

"I've already re-thought us and I want to be with you so much."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He pulled me into a hug and as we pulled away I kissed him on the cheek. This time I knew what I was feeling and I was so happy about it.

"I'll be right back," he said. I nodded and he walked down the hallway.

He came back within a few minutes with something in his hand and he looked me in the eyes. He took my hand and placed his ring on my finger. Honestly, that's where it belonged.

"This _is_ what you want, right?" he clarified.

"Of course."

"I guess love does conquer all," he smiled.

"It sure does," I agreed.

* * *

><p><span>Almost a week and a half later<span>

"Ponyboy, stop," I giggled as he kissed my neck. I was sitting on his bed while he sat behind me with his legs spread out on either sides of me and his arms around my waist.

"What? I ain't doin' nothin' wrong."

"No, but you are distracting me."

"Sorry," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and went back to studying my math book. I had mid-terms coming up and so did Ponyboy, but he was so smart that he didn't have to rip his hair out over this stuff. He started kissing my neck again and I attempted to reach back and push him away, but he grabbed my hand and held it.

"I kinda need my hand back."

"You'll be fine."

"You are never going to let me study, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine," I said, closing my book and dropping it to the floor.

I turned around and sat sideways on his lap and raised my eyebrows when he turned me all the way around so I was straddling him.

"And what do you expect me to do in this position?" I laughed.

"I don't expect you to do anything. I just wanted to see your pretty face."

At that I smiled and kissed him, pushing us both down on the bed. We switched positions and his arm wrapped around my waist. I grinned against him when I felt his other hand on the lowest part of my back, almost my butt.

"Aw come on now. If you're gonna be doin' stuff like this don't do it in my bed," Soda whined, scaring me half to death.

I pushed Ponyboy off of me and sat up as my cheeks grew hot. I fixed my shirt and Ponyboy fixed his hair while Soda laughed.

"Never thought I'd see the day that I caught you two like that," Soda remarked.

We both just sat there looking down at our hands not really knowing what to say or do. That was the farthest we'd ever gotten when we made out and to have someone interrupt us was kind of embarrassing.

"Now come on, guys, it's just me. I ain't gonna be teasin' ya or nothin'," Soda said.

"Okay," I responded.

"I bet if I hadn't come in here y'all woulda been gettin' real hot and heavy, huh?"

"Soda," Ponyboy groaned.

"Okay, okay. That's all I'll say."

"I'm just gonna head home. Walk me?" I asked Ponyboy.

"Sure," he said.

I grabbed my books with my bag and left the room. I assumed Ponyboy was following me, but when I turned around no one was there. I noticed that Johnny was sitting on the couch watching me so I took a seat next to him. Yes, I was planning on leaving, but I hadn't talked to him, like actually talked to him, for a while.

"Hey, Johnny Cakes, what's up?" I asked.

"Not much…How're things with you and Pony?"

"Oh there good. I'm really happy we're back together."

"You guys are good for each other."

"Thanks."

I rested my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around me, shifting his body so I wouldn't be so uncomfortable.

"She fell asleep already?" I heard Ponyboy ask.

"No," I yawned, opening my eyes, "I ain't asleep."

"Then come on."

I took the hand he was holding out and he pulled me up. After I grabbed my stuff and said goodbye to Johnny, we left for my house. Ponyboy grabbed my hand again and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"I don't ever wanna break up again," I sighed.

"Same here," he replied.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Val."

"So what are we doing tomorrow night?" I questioned, since it would be Saturday.

"What do you wanna do?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"How 'bout you come over around seven and I'll give you a surprise?"

"Okay," I smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

When we finally got to my house I gave Pony a long kiss before pulling away.

"You need any help studying?" he joked.

"No, I think I'll go get some actual work done."

"Alright, alright. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Okay," I grinned.

I closed the door and sighed, leaning against it. I was happy to have my boyfriend back and I never wanted to let him go.

* * *

><p>AN: So yes, they are back together :) I couldn't help it hehe. I just love them as a couple, so cute. But as for the project, I didn't elaborate as much as I had planned. I might do something else with that, but I'm not sure yet. And if you didn't understand, Two-Bit isn't too happy about them being back together :/ but you'll see more of that in the next chapter, I think. I hope there weren't too many mistakes in this chapter… Okay I'll stop rambling and let you review :)


	19. He's Sweet, But He's a Jerk

A/N: Thank you so, so, so much for the reviews! I forgot…I hit 200 reviews! That just makes me SO excited and happy, like you don't even know haha. Well, please enjoy :)

* * *

><p>I threw my skirt on the floor and looked for another outfit. I was having trouble deciding what to wear because I didn't know what Ponyboy was planning for the night. I found my white mini-skirt and put it on along with my light purple button up blouse. I unbuttoned the first two buttons and hoped that it wouldn't be too much. I loved the outfit I'd found, but then came shoes. I decided to go with the three inch black pumps, mainly because they made my legs look good. Not that I really needed to be focusing on that, but it couldn't hurt right?<p>

I walked down the stairs, after brushing my hair and putting on my make-up of course, and saw Two-Bit in the kitchen.

"Two?" I called.

"Huh?"

"I'll be home later, okay?"

"Where are you goin'?"

"Pony's house."

"Whatever," he sighed.

"Look, I don't know why you're acting like this, but-"

"Because he doesn't deserve you, Valerie. And I don't know if you've noticed, but you two just aren't right for each other."

"You don't know shit, Two-Bit!" I yelled.

"Do what you want. But I know you two won't last and don't expect me to be there for you when this blows up in your face."

I just shook my head and ran out the door. I half-ran all the way to Pony's house and when I got there I was hurriedly wiping away the tears. It was nearly seven when I left my house so Ponyboy would be expecting me any minute. When I thought I was done crying and all I opened the door and walked in.

"Val?" Pony's voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me," I answered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking out of the kitchen.

"Nothin'."

"Val, I know when somethin's wrong. Come here."

He held his arms open and I walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I sighed into his chest.

"Something is wrong, Valerie. Tell me what's up," Pony said a few minutes after standing there with me.

"Just Two-Bit being an asshole," I responded, pulling away, but he kept his arms around my waist.

"What did he say?"

"Some stuff about us."

"Val, you're not really helpin' me out here. What did he say?"

"He said we aren't right for each other and that we're not gonna last."

"You know that's not even close to being true. We dated for three months! How can he think we aren't gonna last?"

"Oh yeah those three months ended real good, huh?" I laughed.

"Alright, alright; bad example, but I love you. I don't want anyone else, okay? And I'm hoping you feel the same way?" he questioned.

"Of course I feel the same way."

"Good, now let me just fix my hair and we'll leave."

"Where are we goin'?" I asked.

"It's a surprise."

"Fine," I groaned, but gave him a smile.

He left to go fix his hair and I took a seat on the couch. I went to make sure that both of my earrings were still on, but as I expected one was missing.

"Shit," I muttered as I got down on the floor.

I started looking under the couch and reached as far back as I could until I felt the little metal hoop. I grabbed it and stood back up. But when I turned around I saw Ponyboy with his head slightly tilted. As soon as he saw me stand up though, he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Were you staring at my butt?" I laughed.

"No," he said quickly, "I wasn't staring at your butt…I was um…"

"Babe, it's okay. It's not like you're in trouble or anything."

"I know that…"

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Well…do you know that as my boyfriend you're entitled to touch my butt?"

He raised his eyebrows and I smiled before walking over to him and taking his hands in mine. Then I moved them both to my butt. He looked like he was nervous for a moment, but I guess he quickly got over it because he started kissing me. He moved one hand under my shirt and up the side while he kept the other on my butt. I gripped the back of his neck and kissed him back harder.

"We should get going," he said as he kissed me.

"I guess you're right."

He grabbed my hand and we left the house to go to wherever it was Ponyboy was taking me. We started walking and he put his arm around my waist.

"Pony?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Can you believe that we used to hate each other? And now well…we're going out on dates and making out?"

He let a laugh out and told me, "No, you used to hate me. I never hated you, remember?"

"Right."

Wherever Ponyboy was taking me wasn't too far away from his house so it wasn't long before we came upon a small-ish white and light blue building with the name "Jack and Jill's" on it.

"What's this?" I questioned.

"This is where I'm taking you for dinner," Ponyboy answered.

"Ponyboy, you don't have to do anything for me."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to."

"You're so sweet."

"I'm not that special," he shrugged.

"Yes, you are."

He took me into the restaurant and I looked around. It was definitely fancier than usual, at least for a greaser it was. The walls were a pale blue with bronze swirls and the carpeting was bronze and very thin. The tables all had table cloths on them with a candle in the middle of most of them. I knew I was grinning widely, but when I realized how much Ponyboy would be spending on this I frowned.

"You don't like it?" Ponyboy asked.

"No, no, I do like it…It's just I don't want you spending so much on me," I informed him.

"Don't worry about it. Please, just let me do this for you?"

"I guess," I agreed uneasily.

"Hello, sir, do you have a reservation?" a woman dressed in a black apron over her black pants and white blouse asked.

"Oh yeah, Curtis party of two," Ponyboy answered.

"Okay, we have a table open right over here for you."

We followed the woman over to a table near the back wall and took our seats. After sitting there for a little while we ordered and we both got the chicken, which was fantastic by the way. We laughed and we talked and it felt great to be on a date with Ponyboy again. When we finished up I suggested we go to Buck's, but Ponyboy wasn't too sure about it.

"Come on, Pony," I whined.

"I don't know…I mean Darry would skin me alive if he found out I went to Buck's."

"I didn't say we had to go crazy there. I just wanna dance and have a little fun."

"Alright…only for a little while though," he said.

When we got to Buck's the party was alive and I could smell the smoke and whiskey. But I reminded myself that I wasn't there for that stuff. I was just there to do a little dancing with Ponyboy.

"You wanna dance?" Pony asked me.

"Sure," I answered.

He took me out to the middle of the floor and I started moving my body along with his. He twirled me around and I laughed pressing my lips to his. We stopped dancing for a little while and just stood there kissing in the middle of everything. Before I knew it though, we both started drinking beers and I think we had a bit too much of the whiskey.

"Let's get outta here," Ponyboy suggested.

"Mmkay!" I giggled.

He took me by the hand and we both stumbled out of Buck's and started walking to his house. When we got there it was dark and we noticed no one was home. Ponyboy turned on the light in the living room and looked at me with his goofy smile. He made his way over to me and pulled me to him.

"P-Ponyboy," I laughed.

"You smell l-like flowers," he hiccupped and I just started laughing.

We both fell onto the couch and started another make-out session. But this one was a bit more intense than the others because this time Ponyboy's hand was half-way up my skirt while I was busy un-tucking his shirt. He took his other hand and ran it over my side as I played with his hair. I started running my hands up and down his chest and finally back over his shoulders to wrap them around the back of his neck. I moaned into his mouth and his tongue met mine.

"I'm sleepy," I told him once we were done making out.

"Time for bed," he yawned, throwing an arm around me as we laid there on the couch.

"It's not comfy here."

"The chair is."

"Come on," I mumbled, taking his hand and going over to the chair.

He sat down in it and I plopped down on his lap sideways. He again put his arm around me and I laid my head down on his chest. But we both got a second wind and he started kissing my neck so I moaned and he kissed my lips.

* * *

><p>"Valerie! Ponyboy!" someone yelled.<p>

"Shut up," I groaned.

"Yeah, really," Ponyboy agreed.

"Seems like you two had a fun night," a voice that sounded like Steve's said.

Ponyboy groaned and I finally opened my eyes, feeling something on my leg. When I opened them I saw Ponyboy's hand up my skirt. I noticed that my shirt was completely unbuttoned and I immediately blushed. I didn't remember some of what happened, but I guess we got a little crazy with the make-out session.

"What happened?" I questioned.

"The last thing I remember is us coming over to sit on the chair and then…well that's pretty much it," Ponyboy replied.

"I think a little more than that happened," Soda chuckled.

"I guess so," I said.

"You're real lucky Darry and Two-Bit ain't here right now."

"I guess so. So do either of them know?" I asked.

"Darry knows. Two-Bit hasn't been here yet, so…"

"Great," Ponyboy complained.

I managed to get off of Ponyboy's lap and stand up. I noticed the boys' eyes were following me and I quickly buttoned up my shirt.

"I should probably get home and change," I noted.

"Alright. You go home and I'll wait here for you," Ponyboy said.

"Once I find my shoes…"

I began looking around for them and I spotted them sticking out from under the chair. I bent down pulled them out. It was a little tougher than I thought because my head hurt so I was having trouble focusing on it.

"Jeez, kid, you look any farther and you're gonna break you neck!" Steve jeered.

I whipped around and Ponyboy's face was as red as could be. I laughed a little and slipped my shoes on. Steve and Soda were still teasing him so I decided to help him out. I walked over to Ponyboy, put my hand on the back of his neck, and kissed him hard. Steve let out a low whistle and I pulled away.

"Love you," I called, starting to walk out of the house.

"Love you too," he called to me.

* * *

><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

"Love?" Soda questioned with his eyebrows raised. He knew his little brother was serious was Valerie, but he didn't know he was that serious.

"Well yeah."

"Kid, I don't know how you pulled a girl like that. I really don't," Steve commented. If Steve knew anything, it was that for a fifteen year old girl Valerie was very physically mature.

"Me neither," Ponyboy replied sheepishly.

"Dar said he'll be talkin' to ya when he gets home tonight," Soda alerted him, getting over the fact that his brother loved a girl.

"Great…"

"What exactly did you two do last night?"

"We went to dinner, which you already knew about, and then we went to Buck's. I guess we had a little too much drink so we came back here and, uh, well we just kinda started kissin'."

"Way to go, Pony," Soda laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then I'm not really sure what happened. I mean sure we were messin' around, but I didn't think it got that far," Ponyboy blushed.

"Can't believe my baby brother was messin' around with a girl."

"Aw, shut it, Soda."

"Well I'm just sayin'!" Soda laughed, "You almost got her shirt off. That's pretty big, Pone."

"I know," he grinned.

"Oh god, don't get the kid all high on gettin' a broad's shirt off, man," Steve whined.

"She ain't just a broad," Ponyboy muttered.

"Right. Right."

"I'm serious, Steve."

"I didn't say you weren't. Jesus Christ, lay off."

"Okay that's enough. Pony, I'd get dressed if I were you. Valerie probably ain't gonna wait when she gets back," Soda interrupted.

"Right."

Valerie's POV

I got home and listened for any noises in the house. When I thought no one was there I ran up the stairs, but Two-Bit stopped me at the top of the them.

"Jesus! I didn't think anyone was here," I gasped.

"Well I am. Where the hell were you last night?" he asked.

"Pony's…I'm sorry, we just fell asleep."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's what happened."

"What the hell are you saying?" I snapped.

"I know what you did with Shepard! Since when did you become such a whore?"

"Keith!" I screamed, "I'm not a whore! You're just an asshole!"

"I don't wanna hear it from you. I don't even know who you are anymore."

"You don't know who I am? I don't know who you are! You've been this giant jerk lately and I don't even know why!"

"Because my little sister is a whore!"

"Fuck you, Keith! You are the worst brother ever! I hate you!" I yelled, with tears coming down my face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again. "Just leave me the fuck alone."

"Valerie," he called in a quiet voice as I stomped to my room.

"No, don't even bother! I hate you!" I yelled at him again and slammed my door.

I hated my brother. I absolutely hated him. I didn't even know who he was anymore. He'd become this jerk who didn't even care about me anymore. He acted like he didn't care about anything anymore. Or at least around me he didn't. But he'd been like this ever since the first time Ponyboy and I started dating. I couldn't ever figure him out, but I didn't care anymore. This wasn't the first fight I'd had with Two-Bit, but it was definitely the worst.

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><p>AN: So? What'd ya think? How was what happened between Ponyboy and Valerie? Too much? Too little? You must let me know! And what do you think is gonna happen with Two-Bit and Valerie? What did you think of their fight? Please leave me a review!


	20. Moments

A/N: Wow, what's this make; four updates in four days? It's only 'cause I've been sick guys, so don't expect an update almost every day on a regular basis! But thank you for the reviews!

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><p><span>Ponyboy's POV<span>

It'd been a long day at school because of the hangover I had. I couldn't deny that I'd had a good time with Valerie though. Especially after we got back from Buck's and made out on the couch. I still don't know when I unbuttoned her shirt. Then when she came back to walk to school with me she was really different. I wondered if something was wrong, but I never got the chance to ask because she pretty much ignored me the whole day. I was dreading two things: one; going home to talk to Darry and two; going over Valerie's house and talking to her.

I hesitated on the porch before opening the door to my house and walking in. Darry wasn't home yet, but I was still a little nervous.

"Ponyboy?" Darry's voice came from the kitchen. I almost shit my pants when I heard his voice. He wasn't even supposed to be home yet and I still didn't know what he was going to tell me.

"Um, yeah, it's me, Dar," I called back.

"Come in here. I need to talk to you."

"Oh…okay."

I walked in and Darry was sitting at the kitchen table with his paper. I felt like it should've been Soda who was in here with my dad like I used to see all the time. But no, this time I was the one in trouble and it would be Darry's punishment.

"Take a seat," he told me. I did as I was told and sat down across from him. "Ponyboy, I know I had Soda talk to you before, but I guess I really should've done it myself, huh?"

"I-I guess?" I said.

"You and Valerie are, um, very serious I take it?"

"Well yeah, I love her," I blurted out.

"Love her?"

"Y-Yes."

"Oh god…alright, alright…New approach to this then. When two people love each other they tend to feel the need to, um," he stopped, probably not sure how to say it. I didn't even know how to respond to this. I couldn't believe I was getting a freakin' sex talk from Darry.

"Wait you're not mad about me goin' to Buck's?" I found myself asking.

"You went to Buck's?" he roared.

"Oh…I thought you knew…"

"No, I didn't…but that would explain things now. Nonetheless, I still need to talk to you about being with Valerie."

"Oh…you really don't have to, Dar."

"No, I do. It's obvious that this kind of stuff is in your head now so if I don't have this talk with you I'm afraid something might happen."

"Nothing is gonna happen."

"I'm just gonna ask right now. Are you still a virgin?"

"Dear Jesus, Darry! Yeah, I'm a virgin," I laughed nervously.

"I'm just checking, okay? Because I was fifteen once. Hell it was only five years ago, buddy. I know what's in your head and I see how you look at Valerie."

"When did you, um, ya know." I was trying to get him to tell me when he'd lost virginity and I prayed to God that he'd figure it out and just say it.

"You mean when did I lose my virginity? Well…I was sixteen…with Maria Jenkins, boy was she a looker. Right in the back of my…um, that's not important." I shook my head trying to clear it of what I was hearing from Darry and tried to focus on what was actually important.

"Dar, you know Valerie's not a virgin anymore," I sighed, changing the subject.

"What do you mean anymore? Did this happen recently?"

"Yeah. She slept with Shepard."

"When?"

"Like two weeks ago or something," I answered.

"Hey, stop changing the subject. I need to talk to you about sex, alright, kid?"

"You really don't need to. I mean I know-"

"You know what this is, right?" he asked, pulling a condom out of his pocket and placing it on the table.

"Yeah, I know what it is. Why do you have that?"

"I-I um, well you see…No! I'm the one who's supposed to be asking the questions. Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes, I know how to use it. I'm a sophomore in high school, Dar. Don't you know I already had to go through this in like eighth grade?" I questioned.

"Take it," he said simply.

"What?" I wasn't exactly sure if I'd heard him right. Was he…encouraging me to have sex?

"Take it," he said slower, "I know you ain't gonna tell me when you go on and have sex with Valerie…or whoever it may be, but I want you to be, uh, safe when you do."

"Thanks…I guess."

"But don't tell Two-Bit I gave it to ya," he laughed.

"I won't," I promised. I would never tell Two-Bit I was even thinking about having sex with his little sister. But I really wasn't, so it didn't matter. "I'm gonna go over to Valerie's, okay?"

"Wait, you're not gonna…"

"Nah. I don't think I'll be doin' that with her or any girl for that matter, for a while."

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><p>"Valerie?" I called, climbing through her window.<p>

"Go away," she muttered. She was lying on her bed, facing the other way, in what looked like a half shirt that was coming off of one shoulder and these short shorts.

"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Just go!"

"No."

"Will you please just leave?" she shouted, getting out of her bed. I tried not to let my eyes look anywhere below her face, but damn it was hard.

"Valerie, what the hell did I do to you, huh?" I questioned.

"You didn't do anything to me, okay! I'm not mad at you!"

"Val, stop cryin, please." She wiped furiously at the tears rolling down her cheeks and all I wanted to do was help her.

"Just leave," she repeated.

"I'm not going anywhere," I replied.

"The shut up and lay with me."

I did as I was told, after kicking off my shoes. I lay down next to her and she turned around to face me so I pulled her closer. I put my arm around her waist and let her cry in my chest. I still didn't know what she was crying about, but I figured it was best to let her get it all out before I asked any questions.

"You're the best boyfriend ever," she laughed through her tears.

"That's what you deserve," I responded.

"No, it's not!" She pushed me away from her and turned to face the other way. "I don't deserve you, Pony, and you deserve someone better than me."

"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, Val, trust me."

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><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, Val, trust me," Ponyboy told me. He was so wrong though.

"You really don't get it," I remarked, getting off of the bed once again.

"What don't I get?" He folded his arms behind his head and looked at me with an amused expression.

"I'm just another greaser girl…Or according to some people just another greaser whore. You deserve to be with someone like that Cherry girl. Someone who's not such a slut."

"You're not a whore or a slut, babe. You've slept with one guy and I already forgave you for that. Who told you otherwise?"

"Two-Bit…"

"What? He told you that you were a whore?" he inquired, sitting on the bed.

"Y-Yes," I choked out, leaning my head against my dresser.

Ponyboy got up and wrapped his arms around my waist and I stood up straight in his arms. He began to kiss my neck and he started working his way down to my shoulders. His hands moved up my stomach and I got chills as he did this.

"Pony?" I called.

"Yeah?"

"I don't understand."

"You don't understand what?"

"Why you're with me…I mean why do you love me? I just don't get it."

"Valerie, I love you because you're smart and you're pretty and you don't take crap from people. You're everything I want in a girl, you know that?" he said.

"You mean all that?" I asked.

"Of course I do."

I turned around and pressed my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled my body closer to his. I felt my back hit the wall, but not too hard. The shirt I was wearing only covered about half of my upper body so as Ponyboy's hands moved further up my body I could feel the heat from them. He kept moving his hands until they reached the bottom of my shirt, then he moved them under the shirt right below my breasts. I ran my hands down his chest until they hit his belt, which I then undid. We turned around while still kissing each other and landed on the bed.

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><p>Soon my shirt was lying on the floor next to his and we were still making out. I moaned as his hands touched the skin under my shorts, which I noticed were slowly being removed from my body. Once he got my shorts off I unbuttoned his jeans and he took them off. Suddenly we both stopped and looked at each other. His eyes trailed down to my chest and I smirked, knowing that this was definitely not something he'd ever seen before. He rolled over and onto his back, while I laid there next to him.<p>

"Your brother isn't home, right?" he asked.

"I think he's in his room," I laughed.

"What? If he comes in here and sees us like this, he's gonna kill me!"

"Calm down. I'm just kidding."

"Oh…alright."

I stretched myself out and got out of the bed, noticing that Ponyboy's eyes were on me the whole time. I gave him a smile before grabbing his shirt off the floor and putting it on so I wouldn't have to leave the room almost naked.

"I'll be right back," I said.

"I'll be here."

I opened the door and stepped out onto the stairs, walking down to the kitchen. I dug through the fridge until I found two beers, but when I turned around I saw Two-Bit standing there with an unhappy look on his face.

"Keith," I greeted.

"Valerie, whose shirt is that?" he questioned.

"It's Pony's, asshole."

"Please, Val, listen to me? I'm just tryin' to talk to ya."

"By interrogating me?"

"No, I just wanted to know whose shirt that was."

"Val, I think I heard something…" Ponyboy trailed off, walking into the kitchen with only his unbuttoned jeans on.

"Wait; did you two do what I think you did?" Two-Bit asked a bit angrily.

"No! No, Two-Bit, we didn't sleep together, if that's what you're implying," I snapped.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that and I sure as hell shouldn't have said what I said before."

"Pony, give us a minute?" I questioned and he nodded, going back upstairs. "I don't even know if I can forgive you…I mean you're my big brother; you're supposed to take care of me, not call me a whore."

"I know. I'm an awful big brother. It's just…I hate seeing my little sister goin' out with boys, ya know? I realize that you're growin' up and all and I don't like it."

"I know it's hard for you, but you're gonna have to give me a little freedom, don't you think? I mean, I'm gonna be sixteen this year for Christ's sake."

"I know, I know. I get it, I really do, but you're my baby sister. I don't wanna let you go," he sighed.

"You're gonna have to…But I'm always gonna be your baby sister, Keith."

"What did you call me?" he smiled.

"I called you Keith!"

"You're gonna get it now!" He picked me up and spun me around, almost crushing me in the process.

"Jesus, Two-Bit!" I yelled.

"That's more like it. Now, um, you can go ahead back upstairs and I guess get back to whatever you were doin'."

"I'm not up there havin' sex with Pony, ya know. We were just foolin' around and things kinda got outta hand."

"I believe you."

"Thank you, Two-Bit." I gave him a hug and he kissed the top of my head as he pushed me out of the kitchen.

When I got back upstairs Ponyboy was pacing around my room. I closed the door and leaned against it watching him freak out.

"You need to calm down," I finally said.

"How can I calm down, when your brother's down there about to kill me!"

"Pony, please calm down? For me?" I asked, slightly lifting his shirt and showing my underwear.

"I-I, um…okay," he agreed and I laughed.

I walked over to my bed and sat down, patting the spot next to me. Ponyboy followed me and sat down, putting arm around my waist.

"That was close, ya know," he said.

"Huh?"

"Before we stopped…we were pretty close to…"

"Oh, right. I know we were. I guess we kind of let things get out of hand," I replied.

"I…I don't really think it was such a bad thing though."

"Oh really now?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows at him.

"No, because I love you, Valerie, and-"

He didn't get to finish before I was kissing him again. He didn't object, but instead pushed me down on the bed and deepened the kiss. As we got further along, I realized that there would be no stopping it this time…

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><p>AN: Wow, did you like that chapter? What did you think about Ponyboy's talk with Darry? It personally made me lol. But that wasn't exactly the most important part now was it? What are your thoughts on Ponyboy and Valerie and their um…"moment"? Are you happy about the ending of the chappie, or no? Please review and tell me! And I love getting suggestions, requests, or just overall ideas so if you have any let me know! There are no stupid ideas :)


	21. Wrong Things To Do and Say

A/N: Thanks a TON for the reviews! And Alex (anonymous reviewer) that is soo cute! Your girlfriend is a lucky girl! Thanks so much, both of you, for enjoying the story so much!

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><p>I lay there on my back breathing hard and staring up at the ceiling. I could hear Ponyboy's breathing coming from next to me and I pulled the sheet up past my chest. I didn't feel the same way I did after I had sex with Curly. I guess now it meant something; it was because we loved each other.<p>

I turned on my side to lay my head on Ponyboy's chest and sighed. He stroked my hair and let out a sigh of his own.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Pony."

"Are you gonna tell Two-Bit about this?"

"I don't know. I might."

"Just don't let him kill me," he chuckled.

"I'll try not to."

I twisted around to lie on my stomach as I pulled the sheet up to make sure it was at least covering my boobs. I saw his eyes flicker to my chest then back to my eyes and I couldn't help but smile.

"What do you wanna do now?" I asked.

"I don't even know."

"We could go hang out at your house?" I suggested.

"Alright. We should probably get dressed then."

I wrapped the sheet around me, leaving the other sheet to Ponyboy and stood up. Then I went through my things to find my dark wash skinny jeans with my red fitted T-shirt and one of Ponyboy's black hoodies. I took them to the bathroom to change into so I could fix my hair. Once everything seemed good I walked back to my room where Ponyboy had already gotten changed.

"You ready?" he asked, tying up his converse.

"Just about," I replied, putting on my white flats.

When we walked downstairs I noticed that Two-Bit was gone and I was kind of relieved because hopefully he left before Ponyboy and I…well ya know. I hadn't even thought about if Two-Bit would be able to hear us, but I guess he couldn't if he didn't barge in and stop us.

As we walked to his house things surprisingly didn't feel strange. They felt better somehow, as if I was in even more love with him than before. I wasn't really planning on telling anyone for the time being and I think Ponyboy felt the same way, so when we got to his house we just sat down on the couch. Darry walked into the room and stopped to give Ponyboy a strange look, to which Ponyboy replied,

"Stop lookin' at me like that." Darry looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he shook his head and continued on towards the kitchen.

It was just us sitting there for a while and somehow we began making out. It's not like that was all that was on our minds, it just kind of happened. I mean it started out with Ponyboy tickling my sides, but then I surprised him with a kiss to distract him. If only I had known that after one kiss I would want to kiss him again. So that's what I did and we just didn't stop after that one. Someone cleared their throat and we broke apart to see Soda with a grin on his face and Steve looking disgusted as usual. I fixed my hair and tried not to let my cheeks get too red. Soda sat on the recliner, while Steve leaned up against the wall by Soda. They both exchanged a look and Steve spoke,

"You know, you two are always makin' out. It's a wonder how you guys haven't already-"

"Steve, man, not cool," Soda stopped him.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "But I bet I'm not the only one thinking it." He looked pointedly at Ponyboy who in turn looked at me then back to Steve, and gave him a weak smile.

"Steve, cool it," Soda said.

"Why? You got some kind of beef with me, Curtis?"

"And what if I do?" I knew they were joking, but I also knew that they could get a bit rough.

"You're gonna get now," Steve joked back, but still tackled Soda.

They started wrestling and almost hit me a few times. I had to dodge them as they flew towards the couch, which cause me to nearly land on Ponyboy. He didn't seem to mind though, as he moved his hands to my waist and his lips to mine. Steve and Soda weren't paying attention so we snuck off to Ponyboy's room where I straddled him on the bed. I wasn't planning on going all the way again, but that didn't mean we couldn't have a little fun. I giggled as he managed to get his hand up the back of my shirt after I took the hoodie off.

"Why are you wearing jeans?" he complained.

"Maybe you should come over to my house more often. I usually don't wear jeans around there."

"You know now that I think about it, you wearing jeans isn't such a bad thing," he said as he put both of his hands in my back pockets and pulled me down on top of him. My lips literally hit his as soon I laid down on him.

His hands were still in my back pockets and I really didn't mind. I couldn't help but kiss back even harder as we switched positions. I ran my fingers through his still greased back hair and loved the feeling of messing it up and him not caring. Everything was going well…until I heard the yelling.

"Ponyboy! What the hell did I tell you about havin' girls in here?" Darry's loud voice boomed.

I looked past Ponyboy to see Darry standing in the doorway and he was not happy at all. Ponyboy slowly got off of me and stood up. I stood up also and followed Darry because he was giving us that 'If you don't follow me right now, you're both dead' look. We walked out behind him where I grimaced at the sight. Not only were Soda and Steve watching, but Dally and Two-Bit had appeared. Steve and Soda took one look at us and burst out laughing and honestly, I was kind of confused.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Did you get a chance to look at yourselves before you came out here?" Soda questioned.

"No, why?"

"Well to start with, your shirt's half-way up your stomach and your jeans are ridin' a little low there, baby girl. And you," he turned to Ponyboy, "Your hair's a mess, kid. Not to mention all the lip gloss on your lips."

Ponyboy wiped the lip gloss off his lips and tried to fix his hair, while I pulled my shirt back down and pulled my jeans up. I was beyond embarrassed, especially since Darry was the one who had interrupted us.

"How many times have I gotta tell you two this stuff?" Darry sort of yelled.

"Sorry, Dar, we just kinda got carried away," Ponyboy apologized.

"Val, you know I'm tryin' to lay off, but maybe you guys should cool it down a little. Especially because of what happened earlier," Two-Bit said.

"What happened earlier?" Darry asked.

"Not much. I caught Valerie in the kitchen with only his shirt on."

"What?"

I tried to back away, as did Ponyboy, but Soda tapped Darry on the shoulder so he turned back to face us.

"Pony, you know what I told you earlier…I didn't mean for you to go and do this stuff. I hate to be so blunt about this, but give me the condom back. I honestly didn't think that you'd get so close to it and now I'm not so sure."

"Um…" I could tell Ponyboy didn't know what to say, "I don't have it anymore."

"What do you mean you don't have it anymore? I only gave it to not even two hours ago!"

"Well I…I um, I went over to Valerie's after you gave it to me, remember?"

"But you said that you weren't plannin' on doin' anything," Darry told him.

"I know…This wasn't really planned. I just lucked out with you givin' me the condom."

"So you're telling me that you two…"

"Yes!" I yelled, not being able to take it anymore, "Yes, Darry, we had sex!"

"Sodapop, you better hold me back before I attack your little brother," Two-Bit nearly growled.

"Stop," Darry commanded, "Two-Bit, calm down. You can't tell me that you didn't see this coming."

"Are you kidding me? Of course I saw it comin', but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be happy about it!"

"Someone take him out to the porch."

"I got him," Dally volunteered. After Dally left with Two-Bit things were incredibly awkward.

"I don't even know what to do with you two," Darry sighed.

"Do with us? I don't know about you, Darry, but the last time I checked he's related to you, not me. There's nothing you can do about me," I snapped.

I know it was a little harsh, but I was just so stressed out! If only I had just not done anything with Ponyboy, then things would be a lot easier.

"I know that…" he said quietly, "But right now, while you two are together, you're half of my responsibility. His actions affect you and the blame will somehow get put on me." I didn't say anything as he stood there looking between Ponyboy and I. Eventually he sighed and left the room, leaving us again with Soda and Steve.

"I knew it," Steve gloated, "I just knew you two wouldn't be able to resist getting in bed."

"I can't believe it…" Soda said, dumbfound, "You're the winner, kid."

"Winner?" Ponyboy inquired.

"Darry and I both lost our virginities at sixteen. You beat us both."

"Well ain't that great. Now I got Two-Bit tryin' ta kill me for sleepin' with his kid sister!"

Oh yes…I most definitely took offense to that! I stared, no glared, at Ponyboy who looked like he regretted saying what he did. He should've regretted it though! I mean he was basically saying that he shouldn't have slept with Two-Bit's 'kid sister'.

"So nice to know that I actually mean something to you," I smirked.

"Val, that's not what I meant. I'm just mad at your brother I guess."

"Whatever."

"Valerie, baby, please stop. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love you. I'm just upset, okay?" he pleaded.

"Okay," I gave in.

"I'm sure Two-Bit will cool off," Soda noted with a positive tone.

"Besides that's not what's important here," Steve commented, "What's important is…"

He whispered the rest of it into Ponyboy's ear and his face got a red for a minute before he got back to his normal color. He looked at me and then back at both Soda and Steve before whispering something into Soda's ear, who then whispered it into Steve's ear.

"Kid, you should know I want more details than that," Steve remarked, "You're finally almost cool enough to tag along with us, but you're gonna have to say a little more than that."

In response Ponyboy said what he had to say in Steve's ear and Steve laughed. It didn't sound like his usual laugh though; it was funnier. I was getting kind of tired of watching them whisper back and forth to each other so I left them and walked into the kitchen. Not too long after that I heard them talking a bit louder, probably because I wasn't in the room.

"Was she a screamer?" Steve asked, and I swear my jaw almost dropped down to the floor!

"Come on, Steve, I ain't gonna answer that," Ponyboy replied.

"Fine, fine…But I gotta ask you, since this was your first time and all, what'd ya touch first?"

I heard Ponyboy hesitate for a minute before he answered, "Boobs."

"That's the way to go," Steve laughed, "Just wait till the next one comes along. Now that you got a little experience you can move up a class."

"Can't wait."

That was it; I had heard enough. I stormed into the room where the three boys were still laughing and goofing off and crossed my arms over my chest with a glare.

"I cannot believe you would say something like that!" I yelled.

"No, you don't understand-"

"I don't want to hear your stupid excuses! Why don't you grow up and stop being such an asshole!"

"Calm down, Val! We were just jokin' around! I'm sorry."

"No, no more excuses, Pony. I honestly don't know what to say right now. I thought you were different and I didn't think you would just do it to get laid. I thought maybe it meant something! I guess I was wrong."

With that I left the house and ignored Ponyboy who was still calling for me to come back. I passed Two-Bit and Dally on the porch and just kept my head down low as I walked down the porch steps. I couldn't believe how much of a jerk Ponyboy was acting like. I mean he has sex one time with me and suddenly he thinks he's tough shit? I don't think so. I was about to show Ponyboy who actually ran our relationship.

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><p>AN: Sorry it's a bit short! I really, like really, really, really wanted to get this chapter posted tonight and it's like 11:00 lol! I hope no one seemed too OOC and I hope this wasn't a stupid chapter? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think of Ponyboy and Valerie's drama!


	22. I Can't Stay Mad At You

A/N: I love your reviews :D hehe.

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><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

"What the hell did you do to her?" Two-Bit yelled, walking back into the Curtis'.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing that came out of Ponyboy's mouth.

"Well…just tell me what you did 'cause she seemed mighty pissed off."

"I was sayin' some stuff…that's it."

"You sure said a handful," Soda said, setting Steve up for the joke.

"Yeah…a handful of tit!" Steve laughed, finishing the joke.

"What?" Two-Bit asked, as Ponyboy's face got red.

"I said some stuff about what we did and she flipped out," Ponyboy answered.

"You knew she'd get pissed off, kid, why the hell'd you say somethin' like that?"

"I don't know!"

"You should probably go fix things before she sets her mind on hatin' ya forever."

"I guess you're right…I gotta go find her," Ponyboy sighed and bolted out the door in search of Valerie.

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><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

I was trying to think of ways to make Ponyboy regret saying what he did when I came up with the perfect idea. I ran upstairs to see if I still had a red dress that I had bought when I was going to my first dance a few years back. I found it with ease and stripped down so I could slip the dress on. It was definitely a little smaller, but it still fit pretty well. I noticed that it was shorter than before, probably because I had grown and my boobs were too big for the top of the dress, but I could use that to my advantage. It was strapless so Ponyboy would definitely want to get it off of me, even though I knew that wasn't going to happen. I threw things around in my closet until I finally found the matching red shoes.

The doorbell rang, just as I had expected it to; I knew Ponyboy would follow me, and I ran down the stairs as fast as I could in the high heels and nearly stumbled against the door. I managed to regain my composure and I slowly opened the door. Ponyboy's jaw just about dropped when he saw me.

"Val…" he breathed out.

"Yes?" I asked, innocently.

"What are you wearin'?"

"Oh, this old thing? Just found it and wanted to see if it fit. What do ya think?" I turned in a full circle, pausing to pretend to wipe some lint off of my butt, and stood back in my original position.

"I think, um, I think…I don't know if I can think right now," he admitted.

"You don't need to think for what we're gonna do." I pulled him in by the collar of his leather jacket and he grabbed my waist with trembling hands.

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"How could I stay mad at you? You're too damn good-lookin' for me to stay mad at you."

"That's a relief," he sighed.

"Mmhmm. Now, tell me, how fast do you think this dress unzips?"

"I-I…I dunno."

"You wanna find out?"

"You know I do, Val."

I ran one hand down his chest to hit his belt and kept the other over his shoulder. I bit my lip as I stood on my tippy toes to give him a slow, but not too long kiss. He moved his hand to the back of my dress; I assumed to get a hold of the zipper and that's when I pushed him away.

"Well it's too bad you won't be finding out, isn't it?" I laughed.

"What?"

"You didn't really think that you'd be getting anything from me after saying what you did, did you?"

"Yeah, kind of!"

"Hmm, that's too bad. But I think I'll go take this dress off…You can let yourself out," I smirked.

"Oh come on!" he whined, "You can't do this to me!"

"You should've thought of that _before_ you acted like a jerk!"

"But I'm sorry! I was just trying to…impress the guys I guess."

"If you really want to impress the guys, try being a little sweeter in public. I mean, you're the sweetest guy I've ever met when we're alone, but in front of other people you're nothing like that."

"Because I love you too much," he sighed.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"When we're alone, there's no risk of me making a fool of myself in front of anyone. When we're out in public or with the guys, I can't always be telling you just how beautiful you are because I know I'll end up looking stupid."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course I do."

"Aw, Pony! See what I mean? You're so sweet when we're alone."

"If I told you that you were beautiful in front of the guys, I'd probably trip all over my words."

"I don't care. That's what makes me love you," I smiled, but tried to hide it when I remembered that I was still mad at him.

"So you're not mad at me?" he asked.

"I don't know, Pony. I mean, it's just…I really thought you weren't like that and when I heard you say that stuff it kinda caught me off guard."

"I'm not like that, Valerie…But you can't make me feel like I can't just act like a guy sometimes. I love you and all, but…"

"I know, I know. I guess I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that. I'm sorry if I ruined your…guy-ness."

"You didn't ruin it, trust me. If anything you made it better," he chuckled, "But thanks anyways, babe."

"You're so welcome," I grinned, wrapping my arms around his neck again and kissing him.

"You know, this dress really does look great on you."

"I knew you would like it. That's why I used to it to get you all hot and bothered," I teased.

"You ain't got that much of an effect on me," he argued.

"Just admit it, you like my body."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Admit it, Pony; you think this dress looks great because you like my body. You think I'm hot."

"I do think you're hot and absolutely gorgeous," he told me, causing me to blush a little, "Well ain't that somethin', I got you blushin'."

"Oh shut up."

"No way. You always make fun of me for blushin' around you so now it's my turn to make fun of you for it, beautiful."

"Stop! You're makin' my cheeks feel hot," I laughed.

"Don't worry; I think it's pretty cute," he grinned.

I rolled my eyes and tried so hard not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me smile, but soon I couldn't help it. He pulled me a little closer to him and both of his hands slid down to my butt. I giggled and tilted my head a little to the right.

"What's the look for?" he asked.

"I don't know. You're really sweet, ya know that?"

"I am?"

"Yes, you are. You're the best boyfriend ever."

"I think you told me that already," he joked.

"I know I did, but it's so true. I never thought I'd be with you, like ever, and here I am letting you touch my butt," I laughed.

"I never thought I'd be with you either. I know I thought about it, but I never thought it'd actually happen."

"How much did you think about it?"

"A lot. I was always thinkin' about you, Val. Hell, I still am always thinkin' about you."

"God, you're so freaking hot," I said before kissing him.

I moaned into his mouth, letting him guide me towards the stairs. I stepped backwards onto the first step and continued on until I hit the closed door to my room. I felt his hand leave my waist to open the door and we both staggered backwards into my room. I kicked the door shut and we fell onto the bed. I lie on top of him and felt his hands grab my butt. I wanted to tell him stop because I heard the door shut downstairs, but I couldn't seem to get the words out.

"Oh come on!" someone shouted from behind me, "You guys have only been alone for twenty minutes!"

I pushed myself up and saw Two-Bit standing there shaking his head. I pulled my dress down a little and tried to pull an innocent look.

"Don't look at me like that, Val. I swear you two are like freakin' monkeys; can't keep your hands off each other for more than five minutes!"

"Oh shut up, Two-Bit!" I laughed.

"I'm serious! But why are wearin' that dress?"

"Oh…I um, we're goin' to a party tonight."

"Huh…alright. Try not to jump all over each other?"

"I hear ya!" I joked.

He sighed, leaving the room to do whatever it is Two-Bits do and I looked at Ponyboy. He cracked a smile, and kissed my cheek.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked.

"Of course you can."

"I love you."

"I love you too. You know that," I replied.

"I know, but I just really love you, Valerie."

"Ponyboy, what's got you acting so different?"

"I was just thinking about college I guess. I mean, I know we both want to go to New York, but what if one of us doesn't get in?"

"Let's not think about that right now," I sighed, "We'll worry about it when the time comes, but for now let's just have some fun."

"Fun?" he grinned.

"Not that kind of fun! I meant, let's go to a party or something; have some fun."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

I stood up and let out a laugh when Ponyboy pulled me back down on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and quickly kissed his lips.

* * *

><p>We got to the party, which just happened to be at the Shepard's house, and I walked in first. I spotted Angela over by the stairs talking to one of her many boyfriends and I regretted coming.<p>

"You alright?" Ponyboy asked me.

"I don't know. I feel kind of sick," I lied.

"You'll be fine, babe. She's not comin' over here. She hasn't even noticed you," he assured me, reading my mind.

"If you say so."

We started dancing and I was starting to feel okay about going to the Shepard's, so I told Ponyboy that I would go grab some drinks. I walked into the kitchen with a little better attitude…That is until someone slapped my butt. I immediately turned around to see Curly standing there with a smirk on his face.

"Don't you look good tonight," he told me.

"Oh shut up, Curly. I'm not in the mood to deal with you, okay?" I snapped.

"Maybe I could set the mood." He gave me a wolfish smile as he pushed me back against the counter. I tried to push him off, but he didn't let me.

"Hey, Shepard!" someone yelled, "You mind gettin' your hands off my girl?"

Curly turned a little and I could finally see who it was; Ponyboy. His fists were clenched and the look on his face was one I had never seen before. It looked like he was ready to kill someone, which just happened to be the case.

"What the fuck did you say to me, Curtis?" Curly laughed.

"I said, you mind gettin' your hands off my girl?"

"I ain't stupid; I heard ya the first time."

"Then why are you still standing here?"

"Because I'm tryin' to get your girl in bed," Curly informed him.

"I don't think you are, because if you were I'd have to kick the shit out of you," Ponyboy threatened. I was honestly surprised at his use of a curse word.

"Fuck off, man. If you ain't gonna…" he paused to look at me, "Make her happy, she's gonna need someone else to do it."

"For your information, Curly, he makes me much happier than you did," I interrupted with a smirk.

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. He's much better than you…in so many ways."

"Whore," he spat.

"Shut up, Shepard," Ponyboy shouted.

"No! You shut up, Curtis!"

"Don't start shit with me!"

Pony pulled Curly by the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the wall. He raised his fist as if he was going to hit him, but ended up letting it drop down to his side. Curly shoved him off of himself and gave both of us a dirty look. I sat there, quite amazed at the power of Ponyboy in that instance and watched Curly walk off.

"Pony," I gasped.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

"I'm fine. But, um, if you see the actual Ponyboy could you tell him that I'm looking for him?"

"Oh, you're real funny," he smiled, "I was only doing it to protect you."

"And you did a great job. If you hadn't shown up, who knows what would have happened?"

"I know nothing would have happened, but I still didn't like him touching you."

"You're such a sweetheart. But I gotta say, that was pretty badass for you."

"Ya think?"

"Oh yeah. And you know how much I love a badass," I grinned.

"I don't think I do know how much," he said.

"Why don't I show you?" I asked, kissing him.

"Alright, maybe I should do this kind of stuff more often."

"I don't care. I'll kiss you no matter what."

"In that case, come here."

He leaned down a little to press his lips to mine, but only for a few seconds. Then, we broke away and I lead him out to the middle of the floor, where we started to dance again. This time we just kind of swayed along to the music, even if it wasn't the type of music you could sway along to. In the back of my mind though, I knew soon we would be done with sophomore year and then it was off to becoming a junior, which was even closer to graduating…and moving on.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the wait! But, I really hope you guys liked it? What did you think about Ponyboy near the end? Was it dumb or..? Please leave me a review and let me know!


	23. Here's Your AnniversaryGift?

A/N: Hey guys! Wow, thanks for the reviews :) **Millie** and **Alex** (Anonymous reviewers) your reviews for the last chapter made me literally LOL. But you two do remind me of Valerie and Pony, which I think is adorable haha. Anyways, I'm sad to say there won't be that many chapters left :( but for now, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Valerie and other characters not from The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton owns The Outsiders :)

* * *

><p>"I'm so tired," I complained, laying my head on Ponyboy's shoulder.<p>

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think it's from all the studying I've been doing lately. I mean, I'm really trying to keep up my grades, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know how you feel. But you're gonna be fine."

"I hope so…Let's not talk about school anymore," I said, trying to get off that awful topic, "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Saturday?" he guessed so I lifted my head off of his shoulder and gave him a look of disbelief and he chuckled. "I'm just kidding. It's our one year anniversary."

"You remembered!" I squealed.

"Of course I did. How could I forget it?"

"I don't know. Most guys don't remember that kind of stuff. But i guess you're not really like most guys now are you?"

"From what you've told me, no I'm not," he laughed.

"You know, I've been thinking about what I should get you for tomorrow and I think I finally found the perfect gift."

"And what would that be?" he inquired.

"You'll see."

"You gonna tease me like that? Really?"

"Okay, I'll give you a sneak peek," I told him, climbing into his lap and kissing him.

"Was that my sneak peek?"

"Yes, it was," I smiled.

"I can only imagine what my actual gift is."

"Well you'll find out tomorrow, babe."

I twisted myself around to sit sideways on his lap and laid my head on his chest. He wrapped both of his arms around my stomach and I sighed. He moved me so I was lying down next to him on his couch so I turned towards him and let my hand rest on his chest. I started to fall asleep, but I didn't mind it because I was with Ponyboy.

* * *

><p>"Valerie," someone whispered. I groaned and hid my face more in Ponyboy's chest. "Val, baby, wake up."<p>

"Why?" I grumbled.

"Because we slept for three hours."

"We did?"

"Yeah. But I didn't want to wake you up because you looked so cute sleepin'."

I smiled at him and sat up. "Sometimes I wonder if you're makin' all this stuff up."

"You know I'm not," he retorted, "Oh…and I wanted to ask you about something."

"Okay."

"Do you still think about when we broke up?"

"What? No…I mean, not really," I answered, not exactly telling the truth.

"Well, you were sayin' somethin' about it while you were sleeping."

"I was? What was I saying?" I asked cautiously.

"Not too much. Just some stuff about being upset. You said that you didn't want it to happen again because you loved me."

"Well that's true."

"I just want you to know that that's never gonna happen again, okay?"

"I hope not," I sighed, "That was too much for me to handle."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. I mean, do you know what I did after you broke up with me?"

"To some extent, yeah."

"Well, when I went to Buck's…I…I nearly slept with this guy."

"What?"

"I know, it's stupid, but I was in way too much pain and I was trying not to think about you."

"I don't ever want you to feel like that again. I love you," he told me, taking my hand in his.

"I love you too," I smiled.

"What do you wanna now?"

"Sleep some more," I begged as he rolled his eyes, "Please?"

"Alright, another hour or so."

I pulled him back down on the couch and enjoyed the warmth from his body and the quietness of his house. I curled even more into him as he wrapped one arm around my waist and we both fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddies, wake up," someone said and I groaned.<p>

"Come on, guys," a different voice said.

I opened my eyes and saw Ponyboy groggily rubbing his eyes and yawning. I had to smile because he was just so cute. I yawned myself and sat up, just as Ponyboy sat up. I looked up to find Soda and Darry with their eyebrows raised.

"How long did we sleep for this time?" I asked Ponyboy.

He looked at the clock and then groaned, "Three more hours."

"And I'm still tired."

"I'd say go home, but it's late," Darry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "You can just stay here for the night, Valerie."

"Okay…I guess I'll just sleep on the couch."

"Dar, could she maybe sleep-"

"Nope. No way. She's not sleeping in your bed," Darry cut Ponyboy off.

"Oh come on. We ain't gonna do anythin'. She's tired and I ain't gonna make her sleep on the couch."

"No, it's fine, babe, I'll just sleep out here," I interrupted.

"Valerie," Darry started, catching my attention, "You can go ahead and sleep with him…I mean, in his bed…Wait, this isn't coming out right."

"It's okay," I laughed, "I get what you mean. Thanks."

Ponyboy and I said goodnight to Soda and Darry and walked off to his and Soda's room.

"Can I have something to wear?" I asked.

"Sure."

He pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt for me and I debated whether I should change in front of him or not. In the end, I decided that he'd already seen me without any clothes on so what did it matter? I quickly pulled off my shirt and replaced it with his. Then I slipped my skirt off and put his sweatpants on. They were definitely a lot warmer than my clothes.

"You good?" he asked. I nodded and he took off his own shirt, followed by his jeans.

"You sleep in your boxers?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.

"Usually," he answered with a lopsided smile.

"I don't know if I feel safe sleeping in the same bed as you now," I joked.

"Too bad. You already agreed."

I laughed, but climbed into his bed anyways. It was only a single bed so it's not like I chose to be so close to him. At least I was facing the other way, but he still put his arm around me. He pulled me closer to him and kissed my cheek, causing me to grin to myself. We may have only been sixteen, but that didn't mean I couldn't love him more than anything else in the world.

"I love you," he muttered, sounding half-asleep.

"I love you too," I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

* * *

><p>I groaned when I felt the chill of the morning air breeze by my arm. I opened my eyes and saw that Ponyboy was no longer with me, and I was a bit confused. I looked over to see that Soda was also gone, but I figured he was at work. As I looked over I also noticed that the clock read ten-thirty. Soon, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and I waited until Ponyboy walked into the room.<p>

"Hey there, you're awake," he greeted.

"I am," I replied, "What are you doing?"

"You'll see."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on," he said, taking my hand and helping me out of the bed.

I followed him and stopped when I saw what he had done. He had gone and made breakfast for me, which I thought was absolutely sweet as all hell. I looked over at him to see that he was biting his bottom lip and probably waiting for my reaction. So in response to his gift, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Thank you," I said, once we were done kissing.

"You're welcome. Happy anniversary, gorgeous."

"You're so sweet. You didn't have to make me breakfast ya know."

"Yes, I did. You deserve at least that…And I also got you this," he said, handing me a small white box.

"Pony, you really shouldn't have."

"Yes, I should have and so I did. Just open it."

I opened the box to reveal a silver chain with a beautiful diamond heart attached to it. I looked up at Ponyboy with my mouth slightly open and grinned bigger than I ever had before.

"Pony!" I squealed.

"Do you like it?" he questioned.

"Of course I like it! Oh my god, you really, really shouldn't have! I mean, how much did this cost you?"

"Don't worry about what it cost me. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Well thank you!"

"Don't thank me. You deserve this, Val," he smiled, putting his arms around my waist.

"I don't, but if you think I do, well then I ain't gonna stop ya."

"So when do I get my gift?"

"You'll get it tonight. I'm sure you can wait until then," I smirked.

"I don't know about that," he teased.

He began to kiss my neck and I let a giggle escape my lips. He took this as an invitation to kiss my lips and I gladly let him. His hands made their way under my shirt and I enjoyed the warmth from his fingers. He pushed me back to the counter and lifted me up so I was sitting on top of it and I could at least almost be the same height as him.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he told me, stopping to rest his forehead against mine. I smiled and kissed him one more time before looking to my left.

"Is this flour?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" I simply looked at him and he slowly backed away, "Don't even think about it."

"What? I wasn't gonna do anything," I told him, mocking an innocent look.

"I don't trust that look on your face," he half-smiled.

"Good, you probably shouldn't!" I shouted, before taking a handful of flour and throwing it at him.

"Val!" he yelled.

But then he grabbed his own handful and threw it right back at me. I laughed and we continued to throw the flour at each other. I then proceeded to grab the egg carton and throw an egg at him.

"Did you really just throw an egg at me?" he inquired.

"Yup, watcha gonna do about it?" I tested him.

"I'll show what I'm gonna do about it."

I watched as he went to the fridge and pulled out the jar of icing. After dipping two fingers into it, he quickly grabbed me and smeared it all over my face. I gasped and stole the jar from him. I did the same as he did, but he soon had the jar back in his hands. I looked around for something and the first thing that I saw was the syrup. I grinned evilly and squirted some into my hand, and then I wiped it on his face, accidentally getting some in his hair. He glared at me and set the icing down. I thought he would yell at me for getting the syrup in his hair, but he just grabbed a plate of eggs and threw them at me. I shrieked, mainly because they were sunny side up, and he laughed.

"You're terrible!" I yelled.

"No, you are! You started this food fight," he retorted.

"And I'm gonna end it too!"

I took the syrup, squirted as much of it as I could onto the pancakes and mushed the pancakes together. But when I went to throw them at him he was gone. I guess I shouldn't have taken so long to get my "ammo" ready. I crept around the corner and looked for him, but I didn't see him anywhere.

"Boo!" he yelled, causing me to scream and turn around, right into the cake.

"Sorry, babe, but I had to end this fight," he told me.

"I hate you," I whined, shoving him back into the kitchen, where he set down the cake.

"You and I both know that's not possible."

"Yeah huh!"

"Not uh."

"Yeah huh."

"Not uh."

"Yeah huh."

"Not," he sighed, bringing his face closer to me, "Uh."

I stood on my tippy toes to meet his lips and I could taste the syrup and icing on them.

"You're lips taste good," he said, speaking my thoughts.

"So do yours," I smiled.

He looked around and sighed again, "So much for breakfast."

"That was much more fun though."

He grabbed my butt with both hands and again kissed me, repeatedly. We ended up on the kitchen table, after the rest of the food was thrown onto the floor. Ponyboy had his hands all over me, but of course he kept going back to my butt. I looked up at him for a moment and laughed because he had a mixture of syrup, chocolate icing, and flour all over his face.

"You are a mess," I told him.

"Well so are you," he grinned, "But I can help with that."

Just as he went for another kiss, I heard the door to the house open and slam shut. Both of our eyes went wide and we scrambled to get off the table.

"Shit," Ponyboy muttered.

"Valerie? Pony? You guys…" Soda trailed off as he walked into the kitchen and saw what we had done.

"Hey, Soda," Ponyboy said uneasily.

"What the hell've y'all been doin'?"

"Food fight?" I offered just as Steve walked up next to Soda. I turned around to pick up the carton of eggs, but as soon as I did the guys started to laugh.

"What?" I asked, immediately turning to face them.

"Just seems like there was a little more than a food fight goin' on in here," Soda answered. I gave him a more confused look and he chuckled.

"You have flour handprints on your butt," Ponyboy whispered into my ear.

"I do?" I questioned, twisting myself around to see that I did have the handprints on my butt.

"Well I ain't surprised," Steve commented, "You two are like me and Evie; can't ever keep you're your hands off each other."

"Who are you kiddin', Steve?" I laughed, "You and Evie have been done for a while and everyone knows it."

"Says a lot, huh?"

I winced at his try at an insult and Ponyboy shook his head, giving me a look that told me to ignore Steve.

"Whatever, Stevie," I smirked.

"Smartass."

I stuck my tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes, but let a smile slip. This almost started another food fight, but we all agreed to clean up the kitchen before Darry got home later and saw the mess we had made.

* * *

><p>"Ponyboy," Darry said in a firm voice as he walked into the living room from the kitchen, "Soda and I need to talk to you."<p>

"Why?" Ponyboy asked.

"Just come into the kitchen."

I could tell this was a family thing so I let Ponyboy go off to the kitchen to talk with his brothers. I sat there and wondered what they could be talking about, but I didn't have to wonder for too long. Soon I heard some yelling and what sounded like Ponyboy trying to keep his voice under control. Then Ponyboy stormed out of the kitchen, looking extremely upset. He gave me one glance before he ran out of the house. I stared at Soda and Darry who were now standing in the middle of the living room, giving each other panicked looks.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, standing up.

"I-I got…I got drafted," Soda said, with tears glistening in his normally happy eyes.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay so I know Soda getting drafted may not seem like it has a lot to do with Ponyboy and Valerie, but trust me it does! But anyways, what did you think about their pre-anniversary night and the actual anniversary? I just HAD to throw in the food fight haha. So I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a review? :)


	24. You Can't Leave, Soda!

A/N: Thankss for the reviews, guys! I took them as birthday presents :) lol (my birthday was a few days ago, not that it's very important to you guys lol!) And **Alex**, it's hard to decide…but well I personally think Soda is funnier :) But they are both very funny in their own way.

* * *

><p>"I'll go get him," Soda sighed.<p>

"No…Let me," I told him.

He nodded and Darry managed a weak smile. I grabbed one of Ponyboy's sweatshirts and ran out after him. I caught a glimpse of him as he rounded the corner of the street so I took off after him. He was really fast so I was having trouble keeping up with him, but I finally saw him drop to the ground next to the big tree in the park. I nearly feel down next to him and he looked over.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I…I…I had to come…after you," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Why?"

"Because you just ran out!" When he didn't say anything I tried to break the silence, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No," he answered.

"Pony, you know you can talk to me about anything."

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know if I can talk to you about this one, Val."

"Just try?" I requested.

"I can't…I can't do this. I just can't! Soda can't leave…he can't leave."

"Baby, I know it's hard, but I'm right here for you."

"What if he gets hurt over there? What if I lose him like…" he trailed off, but I knew what he was trying to say.

"He's gonna be fine. He's just going to go over to Vietnam, and then come right back, okay?" I told him.

"How do you know?"

"To be honest, I don't…But I have a feeling things with Soda are gonna be just fine."

"I hope you're right."

"Aren't I always?"

"Yes, you are," he smiled, leaning over to kiss me.

"You wanna go back to your house?" I asked him.

"No…not tonight anyways."

"Stay at my house then," I suggested.

"Alright," he sighed.

He got up off the ground and held out his hand for me to take. Once I was up we began walking back to my house, hand-in-hand. On the way there, Ponyboy got out most of his feelings about Soda going off to fight in the war. He told me about how things would be awkward between him and Darry because Soda wouldn't be there to ease the tension. Of course I told him that things would be just fine.

When we got to my house I walked in first and called out to see if anyone was there. It was getting dark outside, but my mom probably wouldn't be home for a while and Two-Bit was probably at Buck's so it was just Ponyboy and I.

"Guess it's just us," Ponyboy noted.

"Guess so," I replied, "Just us…all alone in the house, with no one else to interrupt anything we do."

"What are you suggesting we do?" he grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Well, I was thinking maybe I could give you your anniversary present. It'll probably take your mind off the whole Soda situation."

"If it takes my mind off of that, then I'll take it."

"Alrightie. It's, um, up in my room."

I walked up the stairs with him behind me and we both stepped into my room. I told him to sit on my bed and I closed the door. I took a deep breath and turned around to walk over to him. I sat on his lap and straddled him as he raised his eyebrows and moved his hands to my lower back.

"So where is this gift?" he asked.

"You're lookin' at it," I smirked.

"Shoulda known you'd consider yourself a gift."

"Well it's not just me…it's whatever you want to do with me."

"Huh?"

"I'm giving you a free pass for the night. You can do whatever you want with me," I smiled.

I could only imagine what was going through his head when I said that. I usually didn't object to making out with him, but it wasn't every day that I let him do whatever he wanted with me. I mean we had had sex after the first time, but not very often, which wasn't a complaint or anything. Our relationship wasn't built on sleeping with each other like most of my friends' relationships.

"Anything?" he questioned.

"Anything," I whispered into his ear.

"Honestly, Val, I'm still kinda thinkin' about the whole Soda thing…"

"Okay, well then that's fine. I'm tired anyways," I fake yawned. I couldn't believe he was passing up sex!

I got off of him and walked over to my dresser, pulled out a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt and threw them on the floor. I took off my shirt and stole a glance from Ponyboy, who was watching curiously. Knowing that I had his attention, I shimmied out of my skirt, shaking my butt a little more than necessary. I heard my bed squeak and soon felt Ponyboy's hands on my waist.

"Val," he whispered as he kissed just below my ear.

"Change your mind?" I asked.

"Maybe."

He ran his hands up my stomach and back down again and I was getting the point of where I couldn't take it anymore. His fingers felt so good on my skin and as he ran his hands closer to my butt, I lost all control. I turned around and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He already had his hands around my waist and he led me over to my bed, laying me down on it.

"Good gift, babe," he told me in-between kisses.

"I thought…you'd like it," I practically moaned.

He took off his shirt while I undid his belt and his jeans, letting him take off his pants. His hands fiddled with the back of my bra and I had to refrain from laughing at how fast he worked. He finally got it undone and gently removed it from my body.

* * *

><p>"I know I said it before, but damn that was a good gift," Ponyboy said after we were done.<p>

"Really good," I agreed and he let out a soft laugh and probably smirked.

"Now wasn't that worth waiting for?" I asked, turning onto my stomach. He only smiled and pulled me closer to his face so he could kiss me.

Soon I found myself breathing slowly as I rested my head on Ponyboy's chest. His breathing was slow and steady, which meant he was asleep, but I didn't really want to go to sleep. I sat there for a while debating whether or not I should just go to sleep. But then I got a funny idea so I removed his arm from around my shoulders, pulled the sheet around me, and got up. I looked all through my desk until I finally found a permanent marker.

I crept back over to the bed and sat on it next to Ponyboy. I took his left hand and began to write on it. I knew he wouldn't wake up because he was sort of a deep sleeper so I took my time making it perfect. After I finished it I looked over my work. In close to big, black letters it said, "Love you, Babe!" and it had a heart after "Babe." He shifted his body and I quickly picked his arm up and put it back around my shoulders as I laid back down on him. His arm tightened around me and he let out a sigh. I started to close my eyes and before I knew it I was asleep.

* * *

><p>I felt my hand being placed back on Ponyboy's chest and I tiredly opened my eyes. Ponyboy looked surprised to see that I was awake, but he also was smiling.<p>

"You're awake," I said.

"Yeah, I woke up a little while ago, but you can go back to sleep," he replied.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm not really tired anymore."

"Oh okay."

"What time is it?" I questioned.

"I don't know."

"Well look at the clock," I sighed.

"But then I'll have to look away from you're pretty face," he started and I almost awed until he continued, "And you might write on me again."

"Oh," I laughed, "You saw that?"

"Sure did, but you might wanna check your hand too."

I lifted my hand and saw that Ponyboy had written on it. I turned it slightly so I could see that it said "Love you too, Gorgeous."

"Well, thanks for writing on me," I teased.

"You did it to me first," he defended.

"I guess you're right."

* * *

><p>I groaned and opened my eyes, noticing that the sun was shining through my window. I looked over at the clock and saw that it read 11:08. I tried to hide my face back in the pillow, but I noticed that Ponyboy wasn't in bed with me anymore. I looked to the floor and saw that all his clothes were gone too. I also noticed a piece of paper lying on my nightstand. I picked it up and instantly recognized Ponyboy's handwriting:<p>

_Val,_

_Sorry I left, but Darry called and he wanted me to come home. I figured I might as well talk to him and Soda, right? Anyways, I'll come over later, but I don't know what time. I guess I'll just show up and hopefully you'll still be there. And I know what you're thinking while you're reading this and no I don't need anything. I'll be fine talking to Soda. I love you, Valerie._

_Love, PBC_

I smiled after reading his note. He knew exactly what I was thinking about talking to Soda, but if he said he would be fine then I trusted his judgment. I put down the note and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and walked downstairs. The first thing I noticed was Ponyboy passed out on the couch, but then I noticed the empty bottles of beer on the floor and the half-empty bottle in his hand.

"Pony," I said, worriedly, walking over to take the half-empty bottle out of his hand.

"Hmm," he groaned, opening his eyes a little.

"Babe, what happened?"

"I don't know," he slurred.

"Ponyboy!" I yelled a little louder.

"Stop yelling!"

"Tell me what happened then."

"I went h-home and talked to…I talked to Soda."

"And then you got wasted?"

"Mmhmm."

I didn't know why he was drinking, but he was obviously too drunk to explain it so I just left him there. I ran up to my room and grabbed a pair of sneakers and quickly slipped them on. After I had my shoes on, I rushed out the door and down the street to the Curtis'. When I got there I was a little out of breath and Soda and Darry were staring oddly at me.

"What's wrong, Valerie?" Darry asked seriously.

"Ponyboy; that's what's wrong. I don't know what you guys said to him when he came back here, but I found him passed out on my couch surrounded by a buncha beer bottles," I replied.

"What?"

"Yeah, you guys must have really upset him."

"It's all my fault," Soda sighed, sitting on the couch, "I should have told him about this before! Now it's too late and he's mad at me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I'm leaving in three days…"

"Three days? And you didn't tell him! What the hell, Soda!" I found myself yelling.

"Valerie," Darry tried to interrupt.

"No! Soda, you should have told him before now! Do you understand how upset he is? You should've told him…you should've told him."

With that I walked out of the house and back to mine. I found that Ponyboy wasn't on the couch anymore so I walked upstairs to look for him. I found him lying on my bed and looking at his hands

"Babe?" I called.

"Hey!" he laughed, "Valerie!" He got up and stumbled over to me, giving me a strong kiss.

"Okay, you're drunk so I think you should-"

"You're so pretty," he interrupted me.

"Thank you, but really, I think you should sit down."

"Alright."

I walked him over to the bed and sat him down, but he pulled me down on top of him. I rolled my eyes and he moved his hands up my shorts.

"Pony, stop. I need you to listen to me, okay?"

"Alright."

"I know that Soda's leaving in three days," I told him and that sobered him up a little.

He sat up and gently pushed me off of his lap. He nearly fell off the bed as he slid down the floor with his head in his hands. I followed suit and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He's really leaving, Val."

"I know, baby, I know. But you're gonna have to get through this and I'm gonna help you," I assured him.

"You are?" he hiccupped, lifting his head up to reveal slightly watery eyes.

"Of course I am. I'm always here for you, you know that."

"That's good to k-know Val…You know somethin'?"

"What?" I questioned.

"Y-You're really sexy." I laughed and he shook his head. "I mean it. I mean…look at you! Damn," he sighed.

"Alright, as funny as this is you still need to lie down."

"Alright, I can lie down," he yawned, almost lying down on top of me. But he pushed me out of the way a little and wrapped his arm around me.

"I meant like in the bed or something, babe," I said.

"Nah, I'm comfy right here."

I squirmed and tried to get out of his grip, but he wrapped his arm tighter around my waist. He sighed and I just accepted the fact that I would be spending the next few hours on the floor.

* * *

><p>AN: How was that? I'm sorry if it seems kinda lousy :/ I was having some trouble thinking of what to do, but I think I'm back on track with the story now! So no worries :) But please leave a review! It'd make me soo happy =D


	25. Big Fight!

A/N: Hehe, thanks for the reviews :) I think it's time for a little Ponyboy POV…what about you?

* * *

><p><span>Ponyboy's POV<span>

I looked across the parking lot at Valerie, who was talking with a few friends. I smiled, knowing that after she and I were done talking to our friends I would be with her. It'd been a solid year plus a few days since we had started dating and I honestly couldn't believe it. She was too good for me and I knew it, but she didn't seem to think that.

"Hey, man, you listenin'?" my buddy, Noah, asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," I replied, looking back at him.

"No you ain't. You're starin' at Valerie over there."

"Aw shut it," I told him.

"'Course I can't blame ya. She sure is a good-lookin' broad," he whistled.

"Hey, come on now, that's my girl you're talkin' about."

"What? I ain't allowed to say she's good-lookin'?"

I only rolled my eyes and cracked a smile. I lifted my cigarette to my lips and blew some smoke out, realizing that about fifteen feet away Angela was standing there. She was talking to a guy and I looked away because I didn't even want to deal with her again. But I had to look back when I heard yelling going on.

"Fine! Screw you!" Angela screamed at the guy. I saw Valerie and her friends look over too and I gave her a curious look.

Valerie walked over to Angela, who was now in tears, and set her things down on the ground. She said something to Angela and they hugged. Angela cried into Valerie's shoulder while she comforted her.

"Are they high or somethin'?" Noah laughed, "I thought they hated each other."

"Me too."

"Maybe they're both gonna-"

"Babe!" Valerie shouted.

"Babe!" Noah mocked.

"Shut up, Noah," she smirked.

"Ooh feisty, you know I like it like that."

"Sorry, man, but she's mine," I interrupted.

"Both of you, shut up," she sighed.

"Hey, Val," Angela spoke up, "Um…"

"Oh! Right, Pony, she wants to talk to you."

"Alright," I said, moving away from Noah and Valerie to talk to Angela.

"I'm sorry, Pony," Angela confessed.

"I ain't really that mad. It was over a year ago," I responded.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled a little.

"Yeah, I mean…I ain't happy about what happened."

"Oh, right. I really am sorry though. I should've never come between you two and Curly shouldn't have either, but he'll never apologize for it. I was acting ridiculous, but I'm over you now and I just want things to be better."

"I forgive you," I said without hesitation, "As long as you don't do somethin' like that again. You gotta know right now that I love Valerie, okay?"

"Got it," she smiled and I gave her a quick smile back.

We walked back over to see that Noah and Valerie were talking and joking around, which made me pretty happy. I was glad that Valerie could get along with my friends so easily.

"Am I ever getting a hug?" I teased her.

"Fine," she let out an exaggerated sigh and set her stuff down on the ground again.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I hugged her by the waist and lifted her off the ground.

"Pony!" she squealed and I set her back down, watching a smile grow on her face. I leaned down a little to meet her lips and Noah cleared his throat.

"Where's my kiss?" he asked.

"Please, like I'm ever gonna kiss you?" Valerie scoffed.

She bent down to pick up her books and I noticed Noah checking her out so I whacked him on the back of the head.

* * *

><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

"What the hell was that for?" Noah yelled and I turned back around with my books in my arms.

"Lookin' at her ass!" Pony shouted back at him.

"Seriously, Noah?" I stopped them.

"What? It's not my fault you have such a nice ass."

"Alright, knock it off," Pony told him.

"Sorry, man, but you're the one who's goin' out with the girl with the sweetest ass around…well next to Angela that is," he chuckled.

"Sorry, Noah, you can have Angela, but Pony is the only guy who gets to touch this butt," I smirked at him.

"That's right," Pony agreed, demonstrating his privilege by pulling me by the butt to him. I let my hands rest against his chest and Angela smiled.

Noah looked over at Angela and she bit her bottom lip, which was what she usually did while she was checking a guy out. It may have been over a year since I talked to Angela, but we became friends again just as quick as the first time we became friends. I wanted her to be as happy as I was so I broke away from Ponyboy and whispered into Noah's ear,

"Ask her out. She's real fun and she's newly single." He gave me a look and turned to talk to Angela.

"Well ain't that cute," I commented to Ponyboy, while Angela giggled and talked to Noah.

"I guess," he replied.

"What's wrong?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"Soda left for training camp this morning."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"It was early, Val. I didn't wanna make you get up that early," he told me.

"I still would've come. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, looking away.

I pulled his face back to look at me and he sighed, taking my hand away from his face.

"I know you and you're not just fine," I told him.

"Well what do you want me to say, Valerie? My brother's goin' off to war and there's nothing I can do about it! How am I supposed to react? Do you want me to start bawlin' my eyes out? Am I supposed to be happy about it? No! I'm just fine!" he yelled.

I just stood there quietly looking to the ground. I wasn't even sure how to react to that. I mean it wasn't everyday he yelled at me; in fact, he never yelled at me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, babe, but this isn't easy to deal with. But even though I'm having trouble with it, I don't want you worryin' about me."

"You need to stop right now!" I shouted.

"What?" He seemed taken aback.

"Stop acting like this is something you have to go through by yourself! I mean, for one how do you think Darry is handling this? His little brother, whom he's supposed to be taking care of, is heading off to war! And the gang isn't happy about it either! Hell, I'm not even happy about it!"

"I'm sorry," he sighed, giving me a sheepish smile. I tried to keep the serious look on my face, but I finally gave in and smiled. "You're not mad or anything, right?"

"Do you really think that I would be mad at you for getting upset about Soda leaving?" I questioned.

"I dunno."

"Well I'm not mad at you, but I just wish you'd stop acting like this isn't affecting you."

"What should I do then?" he asked, pulling me towards him until I was completely against his body with my hands on his chest.

"I think you need to talk about your feelings," I suggested a bit jokingly.

"Talk about my feelings?" he scoffed.

"Yes, Ponyboy, talk about your feelings."

"I don't know about that, Val. But I think there's something else you can do to help me out."

"And what would that be?"

"I'll show ya," he grinned, softly kissing me.

"Now do you wanna talk?" I asked.

"Not even a little," he laughed.

I rolled my eyes and pouted. He shook his head, chuckling as he did so, and kissed me again. I let him push his tongue into my mouth, but realized we were getting a little too heated when his hand slipped up the back of my shirt so the skin on my back was visible for everyone to see.

"Babe," I called, trying to get Ponyboy's attention.

"Huh?" he asked, unwillingly leaning away from me.

"I don't think we should really be doing this in the middle of the parking lot."

"I'll take care of that."

He pulled me a short distance and we ended up behind the school. I let him push me up against the wall as he began kissing me again. I moaned and gripped the back of his neck while he stuck his hand up the front of my shirt, most likely going for my boob. He proved me right by touching my chest lightly as I let a giggle slip.

"You always do that," he commented, still kissing me.

"I know," I smiled, "It's because you're so cute when it comes to this."

"Am I now?" he questioned, roughly grabbing my butt.

"Well maybe not cute, but you're definitely-"

He didn't let me finish as he forced his lips onto mine again.

* * *

><p><span>About Two Weeks Later<span>

"Val," Pony called from next to me on my bed.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.

"Is that a tattoo?"

I felt his fingers lightly brushed the right side of my stomach and my hand flew to push his hand off of my skin. I jumped out of the bed and tried to cover the tattoo. I was only wearing my sports bra and some shorts, so he could see the small, red heart tattoo that was now on the side of my stomach. I had gotten it when I went out with Angela and she told me it would look cute. It did look cute, but I had just forgotten to tell Ponyboy about it.

"When did you get a tattoo?" he asked curiously, moving to get out of the bed.

"Um," I hesitated to answer, "Like a week ago."

"And you didn't think it was…important to tell me?"

"Well I was gonna tell you, but I just forgot."

"Can I at least see it?" he questioned.

"Well sure," I smiled, removing my hand from my stomach.

He moved closer and put his hands on my waist, running one hand over the tattoo and looking back up at me.

"It's…cute," he smiled.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I think it's kinda hot too."

"Oh really now?" I teased.

"Mmhmm. What do you think Darry would do if I got a tattoo?"

"I think he'd beat the tar out of you," I laughed loudly.

"Probably."

"I don't want you to get a tattoo though," I told him, "You're too…innocent for that." It was a joke, but the look on his face told me that he didn't take it so lightly. "Oh…Pony, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine," he sighed, removing his hands from my body.

"No, it's not. I know how much you care about your toughness and I know you're not innocent."

"Do you?"

"Oh, yeah. I think if you were innocent, you'd still be a virgin," I smirked.

"Well that's not exactly fair. You're really not that easy to resist."

"Oh shut up. You are full of shit, you know that?"

"Am I really? Or are you just scared to admit that you love the things I say to you?" He placed his hands back on my hips and I could practically see the surge of confidence going through him.

"I think it's a little of both."

"I think it doesn't even matter," he retorted.

"Me too," I sighed.

He leaned in for a kiss, but I looked away because I couldn't kiss him while I was thinking.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"We're almost seniors."

"Yeah, I know."

"And we'll have to start applying to colleges soon…"

"Oh…that's what you're gettin' at," he said, "I already told you that we're both gonna get into New York."

"What if one of us doesn't though?"

"Then we'll figure something out, Valerie."

"You don't need to talk to me like I'm a child, ya know," I huffed angrily.

"Maybe you should stop acting like one then," he snapped back.

"Oh shut up! I'm not acting like a child!"

"You got a tattoo just last week for no reason!"

"You just said it was cute, asshole! I told you everything that comes out of your mouth is bullshit!"

"No! This is bullshit. I don't need you yelling at me and talking to me about college like that. I told you that I didn't want to think about that right now, but you still brought it up!"

"College isn't that far away! You're being such a baby about this! You don't wanna talk about it because you know that if we go to different colleges we're gonna break up!" I nearly cried.

"I'm leaving," he stated, opening my bedroom door.

"Good," I muttered and he turned around to face me. I glared at him, but he wouldn't leave, "You heard me. I said good! Get out!"

"Whatever, Valerie. I don't need this, so you know what? I think I will get out and hopefully never have to come back."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you too!" he yelled from down the hallway.

I slammed my door and leaned against it for support. I thought I would drown myself in the tears that were streaming down my face. Pony and I never fought like that and now things were really screwed up. I hadn't meant anything I said, but it seemed like he meant what he said. I couldn't even talk to him at the moment, but I was afraid of what would happen if I waited too long to talk to him. I wasn't in the wrong though! I mean, we would have to think about college soon and there was a big possibility of us going to different colleges. If we did go to different colleges I was prepared to try and make things work, but I knew the way his brain worked. He figured that if we went to different colleges, we would break up. I didn't even want to think about breaking up, but it looked like it was coming faster than college…

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah…so! I know this whole chapter would like just cute and about Ponyboy and Valerie being all…"them", but it did take a turn for the worst at the end. What do you guys think is gonna happen now? Any ideas or just thoughts on the story? Please review and let me know!


	26. I'm Really Done With You!

A/N: I hate this chapter…lol mainly because I'm not really happy about what I do, but I think it adds to the story very nicely. And I'm now realizing that this story has gone on for longer than I thought it would, but I'm serious when I say there's only about three chapters left!

Disclaimer: I only own Valerie Mathews! S.E. Hinton owns everything and everyone from The Outsiders!

* * *

><p>I was lying on my bed, still crying and wishing that I hadn't said what I did to Ponyboy. He was everything to me and I just told him to get out. Sometimes I just don't think because the anger gets to me. It's a shame too because I may have ruined a relationship because of it. I mean, Ponyboy might be at his house thinking about what a bitch I am. He's probably thinking about how to break up with me, if we aren't already broken up. I'm not sure what he meant when he said that he hoped he wouldn't ever have to come back.<p>

"Valerie?"

I wiped my eyes and looked up at Two-Bit, who was standing uncomfortably in the doorway.

"What?" I asked. My voice was quiet and quivering.

"What happened?"

"Pony and I got into a fight…A big fight."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked.

"No, Two, he didn't hurt me, but I'm pretty sure he wants to break up."

"I'm sure everything is gonna be fine, Val."

"Whatever. Just leave me alone, please."

"Alright. If you need anything…just let me know," he said, walking out of my room and closing the door behind him.

_If I need anything…_What I needed was my boyfriend to come back so I could tell him how sorry I was. I wanted him to know that I still loved him and college would be fine, that we would make things work. I decided to be the bigger person and go over to fix things before they got really broken.

* * *

><p>I walked right into the Curtis', as I had made a habit of doing ever since Ponyboy and I started dating, and didn't see anyone. I went to the kitchen and saw Ponyboy sitting at the table with his head in his hands.<p>

"Pony…" I whispered so quietly that if he hadn't lifted his head I wouldn't have known if he heard me or not.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply.

"Are we…ya know…"

"No," he sighed, standing up, "At least I don't think we are. I mean…do you want to be…broken up?"

"Of course not," I answered quickly, "I'm sorry for what I said."

"I'm not."

"What?"

"I'm not sorry for what I said to you because I meant every word."

"Pony, why are you doing this?" I questioned with a shaky voice.

"Valerie, this is bullshit. We both know that things aren't the same anymore and it's just…it's just not gonna work."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"Val, I'm sorry, it's just not-"

"No, shut up. I don't give a fuck about what you have to say! Fucking asshole!" I screamed, ripping off his ring and throwing him at.

I stormed out of his house and held it together for the most part, until I got far enough so that he wouldn't be able to see me. Then, I broke down in the middle of the street and started bawling my eyes out. It really happened…Ponyboy really broke up with me and this time wasn't going to be like the first time.

* * *

><p><span>Ponyboy's POV<span>

"Valerie, this is bullshit. We both know that things aren't the same anymore and it's just…it's just not gonna work," I told her because it was the only excuse I could make up at the moment.

"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked, nearly breaking my heart.

"Val, I'm sorry, it's just not-"

"No, shut up," she snapped, "I don't give a fuck about what you have to say! Fucking asshole!"

She pulled my ring off of her finger and threw it at me. I wanted to tell her to stop and I wanted to just kiss her, but I couldn't. If I did that, it would ruin everything. I mean I didn't want to break up with her, but for her own sake I did. She didn't need me and I was trying to make her see that. She needed to move on from me and find someone better. I honestly believed that she could do better than me.

What the hell was I thinking? I just broke up with the girl that I was in love with! Sure she could do better than me, but if she didn't think so why should I? I ran out of my house after her, knowing that if I didn't find her fast I would lose her for good. I caught a glimpse of her as she rounded a corner so I followed her. I stopped dead in my tracks because of what I saw after that. She was on her knees in the middle of the street crying her eyes out. I forced myself to walk over to her and she flinched when I touched her shoulder.

"Valerie, I'm sorry," I told her and she stood up, wiping her eyes.

"I don't wanna hear your apology," she barked.

"Please, just listen to me. I was stupid to-"

"Yeah, you're right. You are stupid! And a jerk!"

"Dammit, Valerie! Just shut up and listen to me!" I yelled, thinking she would listen, but all that did was get me a slap across the face.

"Do not yell at me, Ponyboy. You have no right to yell at me after you just broke up with me," she told me.

"I made a mistake. You have to understand that-"

"I don't have to understand anything! And you know why? 'Cause I'm not your girl anymore. If fact, I'm not your anything anymore."

"I did it for you!" I argued, earning me yet another slap.

"Fuck that! And fuck you! I'm done crying over you, Ponyboy, because you're not worth my tears. You know all those times that you told me I was too good for you? Well I'm starting to realize that you're right. You don't deserve me so just leave me alone."

* * *

><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

"Val, please. I'm beggin' you," Ponyboy fought back.

"No, it's too late for that," I told him, "Besides, you broke your promise."

"What?"

"You said this would never happen again…You promised."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be. I'm done, Pony, I'm done." I began walking away and I could hear him calling my name, but I kept strong and ignored him.

I wasn't going to waste anymore tears on him if he was just going to throw a whole year of being together away for no reason. Then he tried to get me back five minutes later? No, I don't think so. That's not how things work with me and I thought he knew that, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I was wrong about him in general. I thought he was this sweet, caring, great guy, but he was just the opposite. Well too bad for him that I figured that out. Now he was the one who looked stupid.

"I'm back," I yelled, walking into my house.

"Where'd you go?" Two-Bit asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"Pony's house."

"See, I told you that everything would be fine."

"Yeah, I guess so. He broke up with me and things actually do seem fine."

"What?" he quickly asked.

"I told you that he wanted to break up and I was right. I went over there and he told me that things weren't working out. But you know what the funny part was? When he followed me and tried to get me back. Of course I told him no and well now I'm here," I explained.

"He really broke up with you?"

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?" he questioned slowly.

"I'm fine, Two-Bit."

"Okay. I'm gonna head out to meet up with some buddies. I'll be back later."

I said goodbye to him and I was kind of upset that he'd just left me there by myself. I didn't have anything better to do so I went upstairs to take a shower. It was my second shower of the day so it was a little boring, but then again when are showers fun? After I was done wasting time I went to my room. I realized that I was getting behind on laundry because I really didn't have that many clean clothes. I was stuck in just my bra and underwear, looking for any clean clothes to wear. I heard my window open and shut and I immediately turned around.

"C-Curly?" I stuttered, trying to find something to cover myself with.

"I've already seen you without anything on so you ain't gotta worry," he told me. His eyes trailed over my body and I rolled my eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I miss you," he stated.

"What?"

"I know…Imagine me telling a girl that I miss her," he chuckled, "But I really do miss you, Valerie."

"It's been over a year, Curly, and you're telling me now that you miss me?"

"I should've told you sooner, but then you got together with Curtis and I really couldn't. That's when I helped break you two up. But damn, y'all went and got back together anyways."

"Yeah, well, we broke up again," I replied.

"You did?"

"Yeah…like an hour ago." I was trying not to let him see me cry, but it was getting awfully hard.

"Are you okay?" he questioned in the same tone of voice that Two-Bit had used.

"No," I cried.

"Come here."

He wrapped his arms around my almost bare body and I cried into his chest. He tried to comfort me, but I just cried more. He moved me away from himself for a minute to look at me and I sighed.

"I don't get it, Curly. Last time I talked to you…you told me that you didn't want to get back together with me. And that was after we, ya know."

"I'm sorry," he said, "I was drunk."

"You were?"

"Yeah. And you know how stupid I get when I'm drunk. I would have never done that to you if I was sober."

"You're not drunk right now are you?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Good."

I pressed my lips to his and he moved his hands to my butt; same old Curly. I gripped the back of his neck and gave him a moan, feeling him smirk against my lips. One of his hands moved up to my chest, but I couldn't care less. In fact, I let him put both of his hands on my chest before we broke apart. He pulled me to the bed and I thought he was going to try something else, but to my surprise we just laid there. I laid my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. I guess in the year that I hadn't talked to him, he'd really changed. Maybe I could actually love Curly.

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><p>AN: It's short, I know, but the next chapter will hopefully be longer. So first thing's first, what did you guys think about the break up? And then what about Valerie and Curly? Do you think he's really changed? Or…? Please let me know with a review or a message! :)


	27. More Drama!

A/N: I know the last chapter didn't get too many reviews, but I really wanted to get this chapter posted! And…okay so when I said 3 chapters are left I was sort of lying. It's more like 3 after this chapter. Lol! And sorry if this chapter seems kind of rushed, but well…I don't know, sorry!

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><p>When I woke up I noticed that Curly didn't have a shirt on, but luckily he still had his pants on, but…they were unbuttoned! Dear God, what the hell did I do? I groaned and rolled onto my left side, facing the door. Curly soon followed, throwing his arm around my waist.<p>

"Morning," he whispered into my ear.

"Morning to you too," I replied.

"Last night was fun."

"What exactly did we do last night?"

"Well after we made out you found a bottle of whiskey in your brother's room and we drank half of that. Then we fooled around a little. You tellin' me you don't remember any of that?"

"No, I really don't," I told him, "But did we…um, ya know…"

"Nah. But you seem kinda upset about this."

"I'm not upset," I assured him, turning around in his arms, "I just couldn't remember what happened."

"Well now that you do remember what happened, what do you wanna do?" he smirked.

"I can think of a few things."

He kissed me and I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting him grab my butt. Things were going pretty good until the yelling began.

"What the hell did I tell you?" I knew it was Two-Bit because he was the only other guy in my house.

"Two-Bit, stop!" I yelled, getting off of Curly and standing up.

"And you barely have any clothes on! What the hell is going on in here?" I had forgotten about not having any clothes on and my face immediately went red.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, stepping in next to Two-Bit and my face really got red.

Johnny's mouth was agape for a few seconds before Two-Bit told him to stop looking at me like that. I couldn't help but giggle a little at how stunned Johnny was from seeing me in such little clothing.

"I-I'm sorry," he said quickly, "Wow."

"Alright, Johnny Cakes, why don't you go downstairs," Two-Bit suggested. After Johnny left, he got back to yelling at me. "Ponyboy breaks up with you so you go back to this loser?"

"Hey, man, I ain't a loser," Curly stated, also climbing out of bed.

"No, you're right; you're not a loser, but you are a jackass who needs to leave my sister alone!"

"Two-Bit! Please, stop," I begged, "Curly's changed; he's not the same guy that he used to be."

"Shepard, get over here." Curly listened to him and they stepped out into the hallway for a minute.

"Valerie, I talked to him and, uh, look I'm okay with you guys dating," Two-Bit said, as they both walked back into my room.

"Really?" I grinned. I didn't need Two-Bit's approval, but it sure felt nice having it.

"Yeah. As long as I don't have to see you two foolin' around."

"No problem," I laughed.

"Alright I'm takin' Johnny and Ponyboy to school. I take it you don't want to come."

"I think I'll pass on that one. 'Sides mom said I could take her car today."

"Okay. See ya guys later."

I said goodbye and as soon as the door shut Curly wrapped his arms around my middle and kissed my neck. I sighed, remembering how Ponyboy had done the same thing in the same place so many times.

"Val, are you cryin'?"

"No," I answered, wiping my eyes before he could see anything.

"Okay. Then I have a question for you."

"What is it?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Do you wanna be my girl…again?" he inquired, pulling his ring out of his pocket.

It took me a minute to answer him, but when I saw his face fall I quickly made my mind up. "Sure."

"Really?"

"Of course."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you know how to drive?" Curly asked cautiously from the passenger seat.<p>

"Yes, I know how to drive. Better than you anyways," I teased.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just drive, sweet cheeks."

I raised my eyebrows at him and he laughed as he moved his hand up my skirt. He pressed his lips to mine, but only for a moment.

"Let's go," he said with a smile and I started the car. I hadn't driven much, but I could still drive a little and school wasn't that far away.

"So you and Curtis are really over, right?" Curly asked.

"Yes, we're over. I told him I was done with him."

"But I thought he broke up with you?"

"Well he did, but then he tried to get me back and I turned him down because he's a jerk," I snapped.

Curly didn't respond and I was thankful because I was starting to get really upset about the whole thing. I tried to push Ponyboy out of my head, but of course we got to school the same as Two-Bit, Johnny, and Ponyboy. I got out of the car and locked eyes with Ponyboy.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed to me, but I just shook my head and walked around to meet Curly at the other side of the car.

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><p><span>Narrator's POV<span>

"What's she doin' with Curly?" Ponyboy asked Two-Bit after he watched Valerie walk into school with Curly.

"Oh, um…I hate to tell you this, kid, but they got back together," Two-Bit answered quietly.

"But we only broke up yesterday!"

"Yeah well she didn't seem too upset after that. And I, uh, found her in bed with him this morning."

"She already slept with him?" Ponyboy asked angrily.

"Nah, I don't think so," Two-Bit told him quickly.

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><p><span>(1 Month Later) Valerie's POV<span>

Curly grabbed my hand and I smiled. I was really trying to act like this wasn't weird or anything, but to be honest I hated it. I didn't even want to get back together with him, but I needed someone and Ponyboy wasn't there for me. Maybe I would have been able to relax a little more if Ponyboy would stop bothering me. Every chance he got he would try to talk to me. He just would not give up on me.

"I'll be right back," Curly told me. I nodded and he ran across the parking lot to talk to another guy.

"Valerie!" I heard my name being called and I groaned when I saw Ponyboy jogging over to me.

"Pony," I groaned.

"Look, I know you tell me the same thing every time, but I love you and-"

"Just shut up!" I yelled, "I know you don't really love me, okay!"

"Dammit, Valerie. I love you and I never stopped loving you," he said before pulling me to him by the waist.

"Pony," I sighed, letting a few tears fall down my face.

"Don't cry. I hate when you cry."

"How can I not cry? You broke my heart."

"I only did it for you, Valerie, I swear. I thought you could do better than me…"

"You knew that I couldn't do better than you. You were everything to me and I didn't want anyone else, but you broke up with me anyways."

"And then I tried to get you back," he argued.

"It was too late for that. I was too angry and upset…It's still too late," I told him.

"But I love you."

"I-"

"Hey! You ready to go?" Curly called from behind me.

"Yeah," I called back. I gave Ponyboy one more sorry look and turned around to walk away with Curly. He put his arm around my shoulders and I noticed that it didn't even fit right.

* * *

><p><span>*Later that night*<span>

"Curly!" I giggled, as we made out on his bed. He moved one hand up the front of my shirt and the other hand up the back of my skirt. He was rough about it too.

"The guys were right, you do have a tight ass," he commented.

"What?" I pushed his chest up so I could see his face.

"It's nothin'. A few guys and I were havin' a bull session and some guy said you got a nice ass; that it was nice and tight, which it is."

"Who the hell said that?"

"I don't know. I think his name was Adam or somethin'."

"That jerk," I muttered as Curly kissed my lips again. I was about to get back to kissing him when I heard something from the room next to Curly's, which was Angela's.

"Pony!" I heard Angela giggle and I immediately shoved Curly off of me and got off the bed. I walked out of Curly's room and stood outside of Angela's.

"You are so cute," Ponyboy or at least I'm pretty sure it was Ponyboy, said to Angela. I couldn't take it any longer so I threw open the door.

"What the fuck!" I yelled, but I was soon very confused when I saw Ponyboy leaning up against the wall and Angela sitting in front of her mirror looking at herself.

"Hey, Val," Angela greeted.

"What the hell is going on in here?" I questioned.

"Not much…We were just fooling around."

"What? How could you do that me, Ang!"

"It's not like you two are together."

"But he's my ex-boyfriend! You know how I feel about him!" That's when I bit my tongue, realizing that I was coming very close to admitting that I still loved Ponyboy.

"What's goin' on?" Curly asked, walking into the room.

"Curly, go back to your room. I'll be there in a minute."

He gave me a strange look but followed my orders anyways. I turned back to face Ponyboy and Angela, who were both wearing bored expressions.

"How could you do this to me?" I asked Ponyboy, "She's my best friend! And not to mention you tried to get me back not even four hours ago!"

"Okay, before you kill one of us, Val, I'm just gonna tell you that nothing happened between us. He was trying to make you jealous, alright? Now that you know the truth, get over it and talk. Bye." With that, she left her room and closed the door behind her.

"I don't get why you were so upset. I mean she's right, we ain't together anymore."

"Because I love…"

"What was that?"

"I said…I love…um, I love," I figured it was time to just say it, "You."

"I know you do." He took a few steps toward me and he was so close that I could feel his breath on my lips.

"But I can't be with you, Pony. I'm with Curly now and I just can't be with you knowing that you could break up with me at any minute for any reason."

"I know I told you before that this would never happen again and it did happen, but I really mean it this time. If you take me back…I promise that as long as you wanna be with me we'll be together," he promised.

"Pony, I don't know." I could feel the tears coming and they almost fell, but Ponyboy pressed his lips to mine for a few seconds, stopping the tears.

"Do you know now?" he asked.

"Yeah I do."

"And?" He smiled a little, making me feel even worse about my decision.

"And I can't be with you again. You really hurt me…"

"Please, Valerie, please. I'm begging you with every fiber of my being for you to take me back," he paused like he wanted to say something more so I gave him a look encouraging him to do so, "I can't live without you. I don't think I can ever move on from you because you're the only girl I want. I would never ever want any other girl."

"No, no, no! You can't say that to me! You can't act like things could be the same with us. Yeah, I love you, but I don't think that's ever gonna change. I mean, I've never been with a guy as long as I was with you and I thought you loved me…But no matter how many times you tell me that you love me, I won't ever be able to know if you're telling the truth or not."

"Please, I really can't live without you. You're the only girl I love and the only girl I'll ever be able to love." I swear I saw tears glistening in his eyes, but I could have been mistaken.

"No. I can't. Don't you get that? I…I love Curly."

"No, you don't."

"Okay you're right. I don't love Curly, but I am with him so-"

"You don't love me?" Curly questioned and I turned around.

"Curly, it's complicated."

"No it ain't. You don't really care about me! Why the hell am I even with you, huh? I pretended to be this good guy for you and you don't even love me! I at least thought one of us cared about the other in this relationship."

"You were pretending?" I gasped.

"You stupid bitch, yeah I was pretending!" he laughed, "I just wanted to get you in bed."

"What? I thought it wasn't like that! You told me it was different!" I screamed.

"It was never different! You're a slut and I was just taking advantage of the fact that you needed someone! You were vulnerable, but I knew you wouldn't just do it so I had to string you along for a while."

"I hate you," I cried, taking off his ring and dropping it, "I hate you so much."

He merely laughed and as I walked out he slapped my butt. I turned around and slapped him hard across the face so he grabbed my arm.

"Don't touch me," I spat at him.

"You already let me," he smirked, his grip growing tighter around my arm.

"Ow," I cried.

"Get off of her," Ponyboy said in a low and threatening voice.

"Look, Curtis, don't try to be all tough around her. We all know you're a damn pansy," Curly laughed.

Ponyboy didn't bother to respond though. He just pulled his fist back and released it on Curly's face. Curly flew back against the door and tried to get back up, but Ponyboy punched him again.

"You need to learn how to treat a damn girl, Shepard!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause you dumpin' her was real nice," Curly shot back at him as he punched him in the stomach.

"At least I had the decency to try and get her back!" Ponyboy threw a punch at him, but missed.

"I did too!" Curly swung at Ponyboy, hitting him in the eye.

"Shit," Ponyboy muttered, falling to the floor. I couldn't tell who had won, but they were both pretty beat up.

Curly stormed out of Angela's room, brushing by me as he did so. He pushed me so hard that I tripped over my feet and fell to the floor, hitting my head on his dresser when I fell.

"Valerie, are you alright?" Pony asked, moving over to me.

"My head really hurts," I told him as my vision started to go blurry.

"Hey, Val, stay with me here. Valerie, can you hear me?"

"Pony," I whispered as my eyes went heavy.

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><p>AN: Mmmm so! Drama! Crazy right? Well I would really like to know what you guys thought about this chapter! Please leave me a review (even if it's a little one)! Thank you :)


	28. Things Are Better Than Good

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I just published a new story so I was trying to get that out before I did the next chapter for this story :)**

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><p>I groaned and lightly pressed my hand to the back of my head where it hurt the most. It felt like it was swelling a little, but other than that it seemed fine. I tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness and as I moved my hand I felt it touch something. I pushed myself up on the couch I was lying on and squinted. By the moon light drifting through the window I could vaguely see an outline of someone sitting on the floor next to the couch. I shook their shoulder a little and they jolted awake.<p>

"Huh? Val? Are you awake?" I immediately recognized Ponyboy's voice so I figured I was on his couch in his house.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake," I yawned.

"How ya feelin'?" he asked with worry evident in his voice.

"Fine. My head hurts a little, but other than that I'm fine."

"Good." He sat next to me on the couch and cracked his neck making me crinkle my nose.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"For what?"

"Standing up for me…I was so stupid to believe that Curly actually cared about me."

"Don't thank me. You weren't stupid. He's a jerk and you deserve someone better than him."

"I guess so."

"I know so."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"'Bout one o'clock," he answered.

"Why were still sitting here when I woke up then?"

"I dunno. Just in case you needed me or somethin'."

"That's sweet."

"Wow. It's been a while since you've called me sweet," he chuckled.

"It'd be kind of weird to tell my ex that he's sweet, ya know."

"I hate when you call me that."

"What? My ex?" I asked and he nodded. "That's what you are."

"Exactly. I hate being that. I just wanna go back to being your…boyfriend or whatever you even called me when I wasn't around."

"When were you ever not around?" I smiled slightly.

"True."

"We were kinda inseparable, huh?"

"Yeah…it was nice."

"I miss it," I admitted.

"You miss it? Or me?"

"I think it's a little of both."

"Then why are you trying so hard to stay away from me?" he questioned.

"I don't really know. I thought it was because I didn't love you at first, but I realized that I still do. Then I guess I tried to say it was because you hurt me, which you did."

"I know I hurt you and I'm sorry. I thought it would help you."

"Being with you is what helped me," I blurted out.

"Then be with me," he insisted.

"I don't know if I…" I heard a noise and I stopped talking straightaway. "What was that?"

"I don't know," he answered sounding strange. I almost asked what was wrong with him, but I heard the noise again.

"Oh my god, there it was again. Pony, what was that?"

"I don't know, but you better come closer to me for a minute."

"Okay," I eagerly agreed, moving closer to him as he wrapped an arm around me. I felt his leg move and at the same time I heard the noise again. "Oh my gosh, it's you making that noise, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," I laughed quietly, "You're such a sneak."

"You're the one who agreed to come closer."

"Maybe I wanted to."

"If you really wanted to, then tell me."

"Fine. I wanted to," I confessed. I didn't know what he was going to say, but I waited patiently and nervously. I had told the truth, but I wasn't sure how he would respond.

"Valerie," he breathed.

I didn't wait for him to kiss me though as I kissed him. I placed my hand on the side of his neck and he deepened the kiss, pushing me down on the couch. He made sure to do it gently so he wouldn't hurt my head, making me smile. I finally wrapped both of my arms around his neck and he slid his hand up my shirt. I quietly moaned at his touch and he began working on the buttons on my shirt and I gripped his shirt, pulling him tightly against my body. I didn't even care that I was making out with my ex-boyfriend. All I cared about at the moment was how nice his lips felt on mine and how heated the kissing was becoming.

"Pony," I moaned and he started to kiss my neck, making his way down to the exposed skin above my chest.

My shirt was completely open at this point and as I pulled his shirt off of him, I remembered that we were still on his couch.

"We gotta stop," I said, breathing hard.

"I went too far," he sighed, sitting up.

"No, it's not that…it's not that at all actually. It's just that we're doing this in your living room."

"Let's go to my room then."

"Okay," I giggled as he took my hand and we quietly crept down the hall to his room. After he shut the door we both laid in the bed.

We resumed what we had been doing and as Ponyboy started to remove my skirt the thought of stopping him crossed my mind. I quickly forgot that thought, though, when I realized that Ponyboy didn't have his pants on anymore. We rolled around in his bed as we made out and finally…_finally _he removed the remaining clothes from both of our bodies.

* * *

><p>I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed was the warm body next to me. I smiled as I remembered what had happened the night before. I gently brushed my fingers against Ponyboy's cheek and he smiled in his sleep. He flipped his body around so he was lying on his back and I moved closer to him. I laid my head on his chest and he loosely wrapped his arm around me. I was almost back to sleep before I heard something in the house. I sat silently and still as I listened.<p>

"Ponyboy, what happened to Val…" Darry trailed off and I assumed it was because he had walked into the room. I couldn't see anything because I was pretending to be asleep, but I listened carefully. "These two…I swear."

Once Darry was gone, I opened my eyes at the same time as Ponyboy. I smiled as I realized he'd been pretending to be asleep too.

"Morning," I greeted.

"Morning," he replied.

"You think Darry's mad?"

"Nah, probably just tired of dealing with us," he chuckled.

"I would be too if I were him."

He softly pulled my face up so that my chin was resting on his chest and smiled. I noticed his eyes flick to my naked chest and I smirked.

"You've seen them before," I told him.

"Don't I know it."

"Shut up," I laughed.

"What does this mean, Val? Are we getting back together?"

"I wouldn't sleep with you if I wasn't planning on getting back together with you."

"Good. I was hoping you'd say something like that."

"I mean, you still want me back right?" I asked.

"Of course I do. Have you been paying any attention to me the past month?" he questioned.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to make sure."

"I love you," he said quietly, as if he were unsure of himself.

"I love you too."

"We should probably get up, huh?"

"No, let's stay in here," I groaned.

"As much as I'd love to stay in here…in this bed with you, we have to get up."

"We can stay in here," I argued, running my hand down his chest.

"Um, uh, n-no we…" he trailed off as I let the sheet slide further down my body showing the rest of my naked body.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"God, you're gorgeous."

"Why, thank you."

He smirked as he quickly switched positions so he was hovering over me and I was on my back. He kissed my neck and I ran my hands through his messy hair, messing it up further.

"Look, either get dressed or cover up 'cause I'm comin' in," Darry said from the other side of Ponyboy's door. I quickly pushed Ponyboy off of me and pulled the sheet up past my chest just as Darry walked in.

"Hi, Darry," I smiled weakly.

"I really should've seen this coming. I knew it was a bad idea letting you two stay out there alone."

"I don't think it was a bad idea at all," Ponyboy smiled, but I knew he wasn't talking about the sex. He was talking about getting back together.

"Yeah, I know you don't," Darry shot back at him.

"What do you want, Darry?" I noticed that Ponyboy was rough with his question. I figured things had just been generally rough without Soda there to fix things.

"I don't know," he sighed, "Just wanted to tell you I was headin' off to work."

"Bye."

"Bye."

"Well that was awkward," I commented.

"Yeah, he needs to learn how to stay out of my room."

"That's not what I'm talking about. What happened to you guys?"

"Ever since Soda left things have been pretty bad. We're always fightin' and I…I drink more than I used to."

"You never used to drink."

"Exactly," he replied.

"I'm not gonna let you do this to yourself just because Soda's not here," I stated.

"That right?"

"Yes, it is. You're too smart for that…You're not me."

"Let's get dressed," he changed the subject so I let him drop it.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>After we both got dressed we walked out to the now occupied house. Two-Bit was sitting on the couch, nervously tapping his foot when we walked out. He looked up and let out a sigh of relief.<p>

"Dammit, Val, I didn't know where you were. Then when Darry called sayin' Pony here brought you back hurt, I got nervous."

"I'm fine, Two-Bit. Just a little headache is the only thing that's wrong."

"What happened?"

"Nothing really. Curly and I broke up and some stuff happened, but-"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh…you mean between us?" I asked, gesturing to Ponyboy.

"Mmhmm."

"Well we kinda…um, after what happened last night, we got back together."

"What happened last night?"

"We slept together," I admitted.

"Jesus Christ, you two are gonna be the death of me," he joked, "Y'all can't ever make up your minds."

"Well I think we've made up our minds for good," Ponyboy said.

"Sure."

"No, he's right, Two-Bit," I interrupted.

"Whatever you guys do…I guess I'll have to deal with it."

"Yes, you will."

* * *

><p><span>Fast Forward Six Months (Beginning of Senior year)<span>

"You're cute," Ponyboy told me, sitting in the recliner as I sat across from him on the couch.

"You're random," I smiled.

"Not really. I was just sittin' here looking at you and I noticed that you're pretty cute."

"You're just now noticing this?"

"Well, no, I've known this for about…" he stopped for a minute to count his fingers, "Nine or ten years."

"You're so sweet."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know."

"Wow," I sighed.

"What?"

"We only have a year left…then we leave for college."

"Please don't start with that again. That's what got us into that stupid fight in the first place," he groaned.

"I'm not trying to start a fight, Pony. I'm just saying that I'm scared, okay? Damn, I just wish you'd understand how scared I am."

"You have no reason to be scared." He moved over to the couch and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Yes, I do! I mean, this is college and what if…what if we go to different colleges?"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because I applied to more than one college you know."

"Wells so did I, but even if we don't go to the same college, we'll probably still be near each other, right?"

"Right," I answered uneasily. It was a lie because of course I applied to New York, but I also applied to a college in California and one in North Carolina.

"We would be going somewhere near each other, right?" he asked again.

"I-I don't know."

"Val, where did you apply?"

"You know where I applied."

"Where else?" he pushed.

"Well there's this college in California…"

"Please tell me you didn't apply to it."

"I did," I sighed, "But I also applied to another one."

His face lit up and I felt even worse. "Where is it?"

"North Carolina," I admitted.

"Valerie, why are you doin' this to me?"

"Well where else did you apply? Huh?"

"Florida and Tennessee," he confessed.

"So it's not all my fault."

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do," I smiled.

"Good. Remember that, please."

"I always will, Pony. I love you too."

"I know. It's just, when we go to college things are gonna change. We're not gonna see each other as much and I'm afraid something is gonna happen again."

"Nothing is gonna happen. We're gonna be together for the next five years, okay?" I assured him.

"You really believe that?" he asked.

"I do," I replied strongly.

"Then promise me something."

"Anything."

"I know we haven't even graduated yet, but when we're done with college I want you to marry me."

"Marry you?" I gasped.

"I'm not saying right now or anything. But if you really think we'll still be together, which I completely agree with, then why not marry me when we're done with college?"

"Okay," I grinned.

"Okay what?"

"Okay, I'll marry you."

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I hope I didn't disappoint or anything! I had to move it along though, because now…now there are only two chapters left! Gasp! Lol, what did you guys think about this chapter? What are your thoughts on their college choices and Pony's sort of proposal (in a way it was a proposal)? Let me know by reviewing, thank you!**


	29. College Decisions and A Bigger Surprise

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Second to last chapter right here :)**

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><p><strong>AN 2: Alex, wow, that sounds...I can't even think of a word right now and honestly I don't know if I should be giving advice for that, but if you really want to know what I think...I think you (assuming you're talking about yourself) should do what she wants you to. Rather, do what she needs you to do. If you love her enough for that, then I think you should do it.**

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><p>There they were; the letters from the colleges I had applied to. I sat there nervously looking at them. I wanted to open at least one of them so I picked up the one from North Carolina and tore it open. The college was a nice one in a small town called Huntersville. It wasn't my first choice, but I still liked it. As I scanned over the first few sentences I let out a sigh of relief. I had been accepted! I couldn't believe it! I was excited, but I was afraid to open the other two so I decided to have Ponyboy help me.<p>

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><p>"Pony," I called, walking into his house.<p>

"Hmm?" I heard him mumble from what sounded like his room.

"I need help with something."

I walked down the hall and into his room to find him there half-naked. His unbuttoned jeans were on him awkwardly as if he'd just hopped into them, which I think he might have done. His hair was wet and a mess, but I liked it like that so I didn't really mind.

"Hey," he laughed.

"Hey. Did you just get outta the shower?" I replied.

"Yeah. What gave it away?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was the whole sexy hair thing."

"Sexy hair?"

"Yeah you know, when it's all wet and messy like that."

"You think my messy hair is sexy?" he scoffed.

"Absolutely," I grinned.

"Well maybe I should just forget about greasing it from now on?"

"I'd be in heaven."

He crossed the room and smiled, pulling me close to him. I rolled my eyes and let my hands rest on his bare chest. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before snatching the letters out of my hand.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Oh come on, what are these anyways?" he asked.

"My college letters."

"Oh."

"Yeah...I wanted you to help me open two of them because I already opened the one from North Carolina and...I got in."

"Babe, that's great!"

"I know, but that's not the one I was hoping to get into."

"Well you wanna open these ones?" he questioned.

"Did you already get yours?"

"Yeah, but those aren't important right now. Let's open yours," he told me.

I gave him the one from UCLA and took the one from New York. Slowly and cautiously I opened the letter. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I couldn't help but grin. According the letter, I had been accepted on full scholarship!

"Oh, babe," Ponyboy sighed.

"I didn't get in?" I questioned.

"No..."

"Well that doesn't matter! I got into New York!"

"You did?" he asked.

"Yeah! Did you?"

"I did...and I got into Florida State too."

"Well this is great! We can go to the same college!"

"I know," he grinned.

He pressed his lips to mine and I immediately kissed back. I let one hand slide down to is bicep, feeling how strong he was. He was definitely turning out to be just like Darry; all brawn with a whole lot of brain. He had bigger muscles than most of the guys I knew and he was pretty tall. He also resembled Soda a lot more than he did when he was younger. He still had that boyish look to him, but he also had that manly facade. To be honest, he was an even better kisser than he was when we first started dating. I guess I just loved everything about him; his personality and his physical appearance.

"Oh my god," I moaned into his mouth.

He pushed me against the wall and grabbed my butt, hoisting me up as he did so. I felt his hands travel up my skirt and soon I was without it.

"Ponyboy," I nearly whimpered and he pulled his lips away from mine.

"What?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," he said.

I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face back towards mine for another kiss. He stumbled and lost his balance, bringing us both down on the bed and I laughed.

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><p>I sighed happily as Ponyboy ran his hand up and down my naked stomach. I didn't even care that he could see the goofy smile on my face because he was wearing his own goofy smile.<p>

"I'm so happy that we both got into New York," I sighed.

"So am I," he agreed.

"I was so scared that I would lose you," I admitted, turning on my side to face him.

"That's never gonna happen."

"I know that now."

"I really wish I could spend every minute with you. You're so...beautiful," he smiled, softly kissing my lips.

"I guess we should spend more time together. I mean I know that we'll be at the same college, but we won't see each other as much."

"Can we really spend any more time together?"

"I think so," I said, "We could just stay in here until college rolls around."

"That sounds nice," he agreed, pulling me closer to him.

"Have you heard from Soda lately?"

"Yeah, he sent me a letter earlier this week. He says he thinks he'll be coming home soon."

"That's great!" I exclaimed.

"I know," he smiled, "I think he'll be here for graduation."

"Can I read the letter?"

"No," he answered quickly.

"Well why not?" I whined.

"Because...because I told him some things that I don't want you reading about. He replied to all of the things I told him about so if you read it...I just don't want you reading it, okay?"

"Fine."

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><p><span>Ponyboy'sPOV<span>

With Valerie lying there in my arms there was no way I could go to Florida. I knew she expected me to go to New York with her, but Florida State was a good school too. But when she told me that she was afraid to lose me I made my mind up. I would go to New York with her. I loved her enough to do anything for her and this was a big decision. I guess it helped to be with her if I planned on marrying her anyways. I was being serious when I told her that I wanted her to marry me, but I don't think she really believed me. After she left my house, I needed to get some help on this marriage thing.

"Hey, Dar," I called.

"Yeah?" he shouted from the kitchen.

"Could I, um, get your help with something?"

"Sure."

I got up and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. Darry was reading his newspaper across from me, but he set it down when I walked in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Um, look I know you ain't ever had to do it, but...but how do you think a guy could ask a girl to, um, marry him?"

"Why? Are you thinking about asking Valerie to marry you?"

"Well yeah," I answered.

"You guys are only seventeen, Ponyboy. Do you really think it'd be smart to get married now?"

"I just wanna ask her. I mean, we'll wait until after college or whenever, but I have to make sure she's really mine."

"I see. Well you're gonna have to save up for a ring so you-"

"Darry, I already bought her an engagement ring," I interrupted.

"With what money?" he inquired.

"You know how I haven't been around too much on Saturdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays?"

"Yes."

"Well that's 'cause I got a job. I had to get one to buy her a ring."

He sat there for a minute just looking at me. I thought he would get angry about me lying to him about where I had been or that I wanted to propose to Valerie, but soon a smile spread onto his face.

"I'm proud of you, Pony."

Hearing those words nearly made me jump up with joy. I couldn't believe Darry had finally told me that he was proud of me.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, really. Seems like you have this all figured out, huh?"

"Except how I'm gonna do it."

"Valerie's a simple girl, Pony. Just ask her."

"You think?" I questioned.

"Yep. Just ask her and then try not to be too happy when she says yes," he teased. I smiled and gave him a nod.

Just as I was walking out of the kitchen I stopped and turned around. "Thanks, Darry."

"No problem."

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><p><span>Valerie's POV<span>

I sighed as I laid back against my bed. Ponyboy was gone again for the umpteenth time on a Saturday morning. He'd been doing this for the past seven months and it wasn't just on Saturdays. He was no where to be found on Wednesday and Thursday nights either. It worried me to a certain degree that I didn't know where he was, but it also worried me because he wouldn't tell me the truth. I turned onto my side and huffed a heavy sigh. What made things worst was that he'd been there the night before, but when I woke up he was just gone.

"This is stupid," I said to myself.

"What's stupid?" Ponyboy asked from the direction of my doorway making me turn around quickly.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, "You scared the hell out of me!" I sat up and folded my arms across my chest.

He tried to bite back a smile as he took a seat on my bed. He reached to take my hand, but I kept both of them close to me.

"What's the matter?"

"You weren't here when I woke up."

"Oh...right."

"In fact, you haven't been here when I woke up a lot of times. I mean, what am I supposed to think when I go to sleep with you here and wake up with you gone?" I nearly shouted.

"I'm sorry, Val, but I've just had to do some things lately," he shrugged.

"For the past seven months?"

"Yes, for the past seven months."

"Pony, what have you been doing?"

"It's nothing," he assured me.

"Tell me, now," I demanded.

"Valerie, it's-"

"It's not nothing. You better tell me now because I honestly don't know what to think."

"I, um, I've been...working," he said the last word quietly, but I still heard it.

"Working? Since when do you work?"

"Since seven months ago," he laughed nervously.

"What do you do?"

"I just help out down at the library. I figured you'd never go there so I didn't have to worry about you finding out that I worked there."

"Why were you hiding it from me? I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other about everything?" I furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding why the hell he would hide having a job from me.

"I know, I know, but if you found out that I had a job then I was afraid you would ask why I got it in the first place."

"Well yeah, I kinda do wanna know why you got it. Do you just need money?"

"Yeah I needed money. I needed it for...for this." He pulled out a small black box and I felt my mouth dry up.

"Pony, what is that?" I quickly asked.

"Val, I have something to ask you."

"Uh huh."

He got off of the bed and got down on one knee. I started freaking out on the inside, but I didn't want Ponyboy to see it. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say, but I let him do it.

"Valerie...you know how much I love you. I don't think I could ever love anyone as much as you; in fact, I know I could never love anyone as much as you. You're my entire world, babe, and I have to know that I mean that much to you."

"Oh, Pony..." I sighed happily.

"We don't have to do anything now, but I wanna make sure that you're really mine. Will you marry me?"

I put my hand over my mouth as the tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't even get a response out of my mouth so I just nodded my head like some idiot. He grinned and got off the floor. He took my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.

"It's beautiful," I told him once I could speak.

"You think?"

"Absolutely. I love it."

It really was beautiful. It wasn't huge or anything, but it was good enough for me. It was silver, with a small diamond in the middle of it. More tears fell from my eyes just looking at it. I was so surprised because I wasn't really sure if he was being serious about getting married or not.

"I love you," he spoke, interrupting my thoughts.

"Oh my god, I love you too," I grinned, throwing my arms around him.

As soon as we pulled away I glanced towards the door, noticing that it was closed. I also remembered Two-Bit telling me he'd be out for a little while. With those thoughts in mind I began to unbutton my shirt.

"Are we-" he began to ask, but I cut him off with a kiss.

"You're getting laid," I whispered and he grinned wolfishly at me.

I took off my shirt and he stared at my bare chest. I guess he'd forgotten about me not sleeping with a bra on and now he was pleasantly surprised. He grabbed me by the waist and pushed me down against the bed. I giggled and he met my lips with his.

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><p>I stood on the last step with Ponyboy behind me and he kept trying to make me go down into the kitchen. I knew we had to tell Two-Bit about the engagement, but that didn't mean I wanted to.<p>

"No," I whisper-hushed.

"Just do it. Trust me, he's not gonna be mad," he assured me.

"But what if he is?" I turned around and he gave me a strong kiss. I was momentarily frozen and he took this opportunity to push me into the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," Two-Bit greeted and I looked at Ponyboy with worried eyes.

"Two-Bit, we have something to tell you," Pony said.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...I think you know what it is." I was confused. Why would Two-Bit know?

"You mean..." Pony nodded and Two-Bit let out a low whistle, "Well I'll be damned. Congratulations."

"How did you know what we were gonna tell you?" I asked.

"You really think he'd ask you to marry him without my approval?"

"I guess not. So you're not mad?"

"I'll admit, I was a bit mad at first, but I can see how much this kid loves you," he smiled.

"Kid?" Ponyboy scoffed.

"Yeah, kid."

"You're letting me marry your sister so I guess it's okay if you call me kid."

"You two are nuts," I commented.

"That's why you love me," they both replied at the same time and I laughed.

"That's very true."

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><p><span>A week and a half later<span>

I was sitting on Ponyboy's lap on his couch as he whispered over and over again how much he loved me. I melted each time he repeated himself. I wasn't one of those girls who just liked to hear their boyfriends tell them that they loved them because it made them feel good about themselves or something, I actually needed to hear it. Not in a needy way, but I just never could grasp why he loved me so much.

"I love you more than anything or anyone in this world. You are the only person that makes me feel so nervous and great at the same time. I'm so lucky to have you," Ponyboy continued to whisper these things in my ear as he kissed my neck.

"I love you too," I finally whispered back.

"Hey, Pony," Darry called, walking into the living room not even giving us a look anymore. I think he'd gotten used to seeing us cuddle on the couch and also the fact that we were engaged.

"Yeah?"

"Guess who's comin' home?"

"You mean..."

"I just got off the phone with Soda and he's coming home on the next plane back to Tulsa."

I turned my head to look at Ponyboy's face and he had tears running down his cheeks.

"Baby," I smiled, kissing him.

"You were right," he told me, "He's okay and he's comin' home."

I looked back to Darry and he was actually smiling. No, scratch that, he was full blown grinning from ear to ear.

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><p><strong>AN: Hehe, I felt really good about that chapter :) I love those two and now they're officially engaged! So are you guys happy about Pony and Valerie going to the same college and all? Please review 'cause you know I love it when you guys review! Thanks so much :)**


	30. Graduation

**A/N: ALMOST the end of the story. One more, finally added, chappie and then it's done! And Alex, I'm so sorry, she's in my prayers! You're welcome, but there is no need to thank me :)**

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><p>"Where is he?" Ponyboy asked again, pacing back and forth in the train station. Darry looked at me, silently begging me to take care of him this time.<p>

"Babe," I sighed, standing up, "You need to calm down."

"I know, I know." I knew Darry wanted to say something, because every time that he had tried to calm him down Ponyboy had pushed him away.

"Sit down. Trust me, you're still gonna see him if you're sitting down."

"Alright," he reluctantly agreed as he took a seat next to me.

I took his hand in mind, enticing him to look at me, so he did. He kept glancing at the exit that Soda was supposed to be coming out of so I rolled my eyes and put my hand on his cheek. He looked back at me and I pressed my lips to his. He wrapped one arm around my waist and I smirked, knowing that kissing him would take his mind off of Soda.

"Good to know you two still can't keep your hands off each other," a familiar voice chuckled.

We broke away to see Soda standing there, with a new haircut might I add. I let Darry and Ponyboy have the first hug because they were family and all. I smiled at the sight of them being reunited and laughed when Soda made a comment about Ponyboy's hair. He'd decided to get it cut a little, not too much though, because he complained about being the only greaser who got his hair cut. It's not like I made him do it, he's the one who thought he needed it.

"Now, Valerie, you really think I'm gonna let you get away without a hug?" Soda teased after pulling away from his brothers.

"Well then come on and give me a hug!" I laughed. He scooped me up and swung me around causing me to squeal.

"Don't break my fiance," Ponyboy warned jokingly.

"Fiance?"

"Well yeah." Ponyboy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and I couldn't help but grin.

"You two are engaged?" Soda grinned.

"Yeah. He asked me a few weeks weeks ago," I told him, holding out my hand so he could see the ring.

"Well damn. How the hell'd that happen?"

I only laughed as Ponyboy wrapped his arms around my shoulders, kissing my cheek. I smiled at his small show of affection and Soda rolled his eyes.

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><p>"Are you happy about Soda being home?" I asked Ponyboy once we were alone in his room. There had been too much commotion going on in the living room so we decided to talk in his room. It was like things had gone right back to normal with Soda being back.<p>

"What kind of question is that?" he smiled.

"Of course. What was I thinking?"

"I'm just glad he's safe and all."

"Me too, babe, me too. But I know this meant a lot to you. I was happy to see you so happy," I grinned.

"You know what I'd be happy to see?" he asked.

"What?"

"You closer to me," he answered, pulling me on top of him and laying down as he held me in place.

"Pony," I whined, "Let me go!"

"Never."

"Pony!"

"Ya know, if you keep screaming my name they're gonna think we're doin' somethin' more than talking in here."

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis!" I laughed, "That was wildly inappropriate."

"I know," he smirked, switching us around.

"The whole gang is right in the living room, Pony. Do you really think it's such a good idea to be fooling around in here?"

"I don't think they'll mind."

He began to kiss my neck and I giggled as he ran one hand up the front of my shirt. Just as his lips reached mine, the door flew open and Ponyboy fell off the bed. I burst out laughing, along with Soda who was now standing in the doorway. Ponyboy got up and rubbed the back of his head as he sent us both a glare. In reply, I blew him a kiss.

"You can blow as many kisses as you want; don't make you any cuter," he noted.

"You can't resist me and you know it," I teased him, watching a smile grow on his face.

"Alright that's enough, you two," Soda interrupted.

"Sorry," we both said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. I see why people used to yell at me an' Sandy all the time."

"Right..." Ponyboy said, giving me an unsure look, "Well what's goin' on with the guys?"

"We're goin' out to play some football. Valerie...you don't have to come out. It'll probably get boring if you just sit there and watch."

"Watch? Why can't I play?" I whined.

"You're not playing football," Ponyboy stated firmly.

"Why not!"

"I'll let you two discuss this," Soda told us, before walking out of the room and closing the door.

"Why won't you let me play football with you guys?" I asked once Soda was gone.

"Because."

"Because? Because what!"

"I don't want you getting hurt," he admitted, "You know we play rough."

"Fine. I guess I'll just sit in here all by myself then."

"You want me to stay in here?"

"No...I guess you can go out there. I mean, I'm not gonna keep you from playing football."

"I think I'd rather stay with you," he smiled.

"You just wanna fool around," I accused him.

"Maybe."

"If you really wanna stay here with me, I'll give you one kiss."

"Okay."

I rolled my eyes and gave him the one kiss that I had promised. Little did I know, he was planning on something different happening. As soon as I tried to pull away, he grabbed me by the waist and pressed his lips to mine once more.

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><p><span>A month and a half later<span>

I was lying there in Ponyboy's bed, wondering if he was awake too. I slowly rolled over to be met with a sleeping Ponyboy. I sighed and began to play footsie with him. I knew it would wake him up, considering how ticklish he was.

"Val," he grumbled sleepily.

"What?"

"Quit messin' with me."

"How do you know it's me?" I giggled.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, opening his eyes and trying to bite back a smile.

"I dunno."

"You're annoying," he informed me.

"And you're not a morning person," I shot back.

"That's true."

I smiled and he moved me closer to him so he could kiss me. It was a short and sweet "good morning" kiss. That was the kind of kiss he used with me whenever we woke up in the same bed. I mean, we both knew that we had gone to sleep in the same bed, but it seemed like such nice surprise to wake up with each other.

"Morning, gorgeous," he finally greeted.

"Morning."

"You know, one of my favorite things is waking up to you in my bed."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really."

"Are you guys gonna get it on? 'Cause I ain't stickin' around for that," Soda told us.

"No," I laughed.

"Alright. Then hush up 'cause I am tired."

"You Curtis boys are all the same, ya know that?"

"Not Darry," Ponyboy and Soda both answered at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and moved out of Ponyboy's arm, standing up. He cleared his throat and threw a pair of sweatpants to me. I laughed and quickly slipped the pants on. He just didn't want Soda seeing anything he wasn't supposed to, even though I knew Soda would never even think that way about me.

"Happy now?" I questioned, "I got some pants on."

"Yes, I'm happy, considering how many times you haven't had pants on in this room," he smirked.

"Pony!" I scolded, feeling my face get red.

"Relax, Valerie, I already know what you two have been doin'," Soda laughed.

"Pony, I'm gonna kick your ass!" I squealed.

"You ain't gonna do anything."

"Ya huh!"

Soda gave Ponyboy a look and I knew what was coming before it even happened. Ponyboy picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as I yelled at him. I could feel my sweatpants becoming loose because they belonged to Ponyboy and I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen to me. As soon as he set me down in the living room, my pants sunk down to about midway on my butt. Steve let out a whistle and Ponyboy shot him a dangerous look. I pulled my pants back up and put a hand on Ponyboy's chest.

"It's okay, babe."

"Fine. Only 'cause I don't feel like dealing with him this morning," he sighed. At this, Steve let out a snort.

"Do you feel like dealing with me?" I asked.

"It's not dealing with you. It's getting to be with you."

"I love you," I grinned.

"Yeah, I know."

I rolled my eyes and when I turned around to walk into the kitchen, he slapped my butt. Steve and Soda both let out loud laughs and I widened my eyes giving him Ponyboy a look that said 'Do that again and I'll slap you right into next week.' He still thought it was funny though and after a little while, I couldn't help but smile.

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><p><span>Graduation Day<span>

I stood nervously in my cap and gown, waiting for my name to be called. Ponyboy had been called before me because his last name started with C so I was left all by myself. I saw Ponyboy standing across the room from me and he gave me a grin, mouthing, "You'll be fine." I tried to smile, but I was way too nervous.

"Valerie Mathews," the principal called and I shakily walked up to the stage.

I took my diploma and walked past him. Once I got off the stage I stood where I was supposed to, but I kept looking over at Ponyboy. Eventually they got done with all the names and we cheered, thanking the Lord that we were finally done with high school. As soon as that ended, I ran over to Ponyboy and he swung me around.

"Honey!" someone yelled and I instantly recognized the voice.

"Mom! You made it," I smiled, twisting around in Ponyboy's arms.

"Of course I made it! My baby girl graduated from high school! And early!" she laughed, looking at Two-Bit.

"Hey," he protested, "At least I graduated."

"At nineteen," I muttered.

"Damn," Darry sighed, "You guys are gonna be headin' off to New York soon, aren't ya?"

"Yeah, but we'll be just fine," Ponyboy replied.

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><p><strong>AN: To be honest, I thought about making one more chapter because I really chopped this one up, but I decided against it and I hope you guys don't mind! (new part right here)- The Epilogue will be the end of the story! Thanks guys :)**


	31. Epilogue

**A/N: OH GOODNESS, the long wait is over my loves :) Here is the last part of the story, the cap on Val and Pony's relationship! Please enjoy, if I have any readers left :/ and review!**

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><p><em><span>6 Years Later<span>_

I grinned as I stared at myself in the mirror. My dress flowed out around my ankles and my hair was half-up, half-down in curls. My mother had helped me with my make-up and Angela had to help me conceal the slight baby bump I had going. I wasn't too happy when I found out that I was pregnant three weeks before the wedding. Yes, I said it, THREE weeks before the wedding! Oh, trust me, I was beyond upset. But Pony did his best to calm me down.

So now I was almost two months pregnant, but by this point I was happy about it. Pony was too, but he probably wasn't too happy about the mood swings. Nonetheless though, we were both happy about me being pregnant. My mother was happy too. When I called her to tell her the news, she just about lost her mind. As did Two-Bit, and if Pony weren't one of his best buddies, he probably would have been angry. Not that I'd care much!

"Val?" Two-Bit's voice called from the other side of the door. Speak of the devil!

"Come in," Angela said before I could.

The door opened and Two-Bit walked in with his suit finally on and a small grin on his face. I looked around at the girls and they took the hint and left the room.

"Hey, Two," I said once they were gone.

"Wow...Look at you, my baby sister's all grown up."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up, Two-Bit."

He shook his head a little, his smile falling. "I'm serious...You're really grown up. Hell you're more grown up than I am!"

"But you're like a big kid," I laughed, "That's why you're such a good big brother."

"I'm sorry dad ain't here to give you away, Val," he sighed.

"Don't be...Keith, it's not your fault."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish he hadn't been such a-"

"Two-Bit," I cut him off, "Forget about him. This is supposed to be a happy day, remember?"

"Happy? My baby sister is gettin' hitched and she's pregnant too!"

I laughed. "Well thanks for bein' happy for me. Gosh."

"Oh come on, you know I'm happy for ya. I love you, Valerie, you know that."

Tears came to my eyes and I sighed.

"Oh now, don't go cryin' on me," Two-Bit grinned, "You'll mess up all of ma's work and you know she'll go crazy."

"Yeah, I know...I just can't believe I'm getting married...I mean this is nuts, Two-Bit."

"I know," he said.

I smiled and decided to change the tone of things a little. "So...when're ya gonna pop the question to Kathy?"

Two-Bit's face turned red and I laughed out loud. "I don't know..."

"Wait, you mean you're actually thinking about it?"

He shrugged. "Well, I gotta settle down some time, ya know? Not that I'm doing it anytime soon. But I think she might be gettin' the ring."

"That's great, Two-Bit," I grinned.

"Yeah, but hey, let's forget about me and focus on you, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't focus on me, Two, I already have a bunch of people out there who are gonna be starin' at me."

"All the more fun then," he smirked.

I was about to retort when I heard the organ begin to play music. I swallowed hard and sent a worried look to Two-Bit. He laughed and gently grabbed my arm.

"You're gonna be fine, baby girl," he smiled.

I nodded and took a deep breath as we both walked out of the room. We walked down the small hallway and finally...finally we walked into the main part of the church where everyone was seated. Two-Bit squeezed my hand and then we looped arms as we began to walk down the aisle.

I smiled at Pony who was standing by the altar, with Sodapop, Darry, and Johnny standing next to him. Pony had asked Soda to be the best man, which was fine with all three brothers. Steve and Dally had asked not to be groomsmen, the big babies.

I laughed on the inside a little and looked over to my bridesmaids. Angela was my maid of honor, and Sylvia (whom I was still close with) and Jenny (a friend from college, and Johnny's girlfriend) were my bridesmaids. They looked gorgeous of course in their light blue dresses, and they were smiling like crazy. I gave them a smile and before I knew it, we had reached the altar.

"Good luck," Two-Bit quickly whispered in my ear before giving me a kiss on the cheek and taking his seat.

I stood across from Pony and gave a quick smile to the priest. He smiled back and began speaking. While listening to the priest Pony looked at me and mouthed "I love you" and I mouthed the same back to him. It seemed like time was flying by and all too soon, the priest was turning to me.

"Valerie Mathews, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband? To be with in sickness and in health? To cherish for as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked.

I smiled and took a shaky breath. "I do."

The priest proceeded to ask Pony the same question to which he replied, "I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest smiled.

I looked over at Pony, who grabbed my hips gently and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled into the kiss and we pulled away once we heard the boys cheering. Even Darry was making a little noise.

* * *

><p>"So, big shot's all married now," Steve grinned as he talked to both of us.<p>

"Yeah, before you even," Pony shot back teasingly.

Steve laughed. "Like I'm ever gonna get married. I'm livin' the good life."

"Excuse me?" Evie asked, raising her eyebrows at Steve.

"Oh, uh, hey baby. Let's go get you somethin' to drink, huh?"

I laughed as I heard Evie say, "You better get me more than a drink or you won't be living this so called good life anymore."

Pony smiled over at me and I gave him a grin back. He wrapped his arms around my waist and looked down at my slightly swollen belly.

"I cannot believe we're gonna have a baby," he grinned, pressing his forehead to mine.

"I know," I sighed happily, "But it does kind of put a damper on the honeymoon."

He shook his head slightly. "I'm not worried about that. As long as I'm with you, the honeymoon will be perfect."

"Hey, love birds!" Soda yelled and we turned around, "Say cheese!"

The next thing I knew, he was snapping a picture of us and I laughed. He shrugged his shoulders and gave us a grin, searching for some more candid-photo victims.

We continued to talk until I saw a dark look cross Pony's face. I looked behind me to see Curly standing there with a box in his hands.

"Curly...what are you doing here?" I asked, standing in between him and Pony.

"I just...wanted to stop by and give you guys a gift," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"A gift? What is it, a bomb?" Pony said dryly.

Curly shook his head. "More like a peace-offering. Man, come on, we were sorta okay with each other at one point. So were we, Valerie. All I'm sayin' is that there ain't a damn reason for you two to hate me or for me to hate you."

I nodded and smiled. "Alright, what's in the box, Shepard?"

He grinned and handed it to me. I opened it to find nothing in the box. I looked at Pony and then gave a suspicious look to Curly. He laughed and shrugged.

"There's nothing in here, Curly," I told him.

"Yeah I know...I'm pretty broke, but the box is nice, huh?"

And for the first time in a long time, I gave a genuine smile to Curly Shepard. This was the Curly that I knew, the one that Pony and almost everyone else never got to see.

"Well thanks, Curly. The box is nice," I laughed.

He nodded and cautiously gave me hug and shook Pony's hand. After that, he drifted back out to the living room of Darry's house. I never thought I'd see the day that Curly wasn't an asshole for once. But apparently, all I had to do was get married to see the sweet and kind of funny side of him. I turned to face Pony and saw he had a slightly confused look on his face.

"Calm down," I said.

"I'm fine...I just don't get what his angle is."

"I don't think he has one this time. He just wanted to tie up some loose ends, I guess."

Pony nodded. "Alright, I guess that's okay. No point in fighting anyways."

"Exactly. Today is a happy day, Ponyboy Curtis," I reminded him.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me. I grinned as he pulled away. Even with everyone around us talking and laughing and gushing about the wedding, I could only think about Pony. I could only think about him and our new life and our little baby on the way.

"We're gonna have a good life, Val, I promise," Pony whispered in my ear, "A good life for us and the baby."

I looked at him and saw in his eyes that he was being completely honest. He would keep to his word and we would have a good life. And we would bring this baby into the best life possible. But more importantly, we'd do it together, just like everything else.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there ya go. The ending to the story! I love you all so so much, if I still have readers :/ thanks so so so much! You've all been fantastic to me, seriously. You're great and I hope you've enjoyed Pony and Val's story :)**


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